


Wish Upon

by Oscurita



Category: Red Dead Redemption
Genre: Angst, Arthur In The Future, Arthur Morgan Deserves Happiness, Character Death Fix, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fix-It, Fix-it fic, Fluff/Romance, Friends to Lovers, Friendship/Love, Hurt/Comfort, Modern Universe, TB who? Never heard of her!, Time Travel, Tropes, alternative universe, cheesy tropes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-21
Updated: 2019-09-24
Packaged: 2019-10-13 16:01:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 60,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17491001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oscurita/pseuds/Oscurita
Summary: Our favourite soft cowboy is transported a hundred and twenty years into the future, where he crashes into the life of a gamer who never expected her favourite fictional character to materialize before her.Will Arthur find a shot at true happiness in the real modern world, or will the struggle to adjust to reality and the twenty-first century prove to be one fight too many?





	1. The Gift

**Author's Note:**

> I hope this hasn't been done already but I was inspired by a dream I had recently where I found Arthur in my kitchen trying to work my coffee maker and getting real mad about it. Somehow that spawned the idea of him living in the twenty-first century and has had me writing it ever since. It's borderline crack!fic that is totally ridiculous but hopefully entertaining for you all and well written enough to hold your interest. It's a little self indulgent, because I just really want to see Arthur treated well and loved by someone like he deserved to be, and if we can't indulge the fantasy of saving him in some fantastical way in fan fic, where can we? Haha!
> 
> That being said, I've never written a completely "Alternative Universe" fic before, but it turns out it's a hell of a lot easier than writing something set a hundred and twenty years ago (Don't worry, an update for Bad Business is coming very soon!) So here goes nothing....I hope you all enjoy!

"Merry Christmas, sweetheart! Sorry it's a bit late." Juliette said as she passed her niece Allie a small box wrapped in gold paper and sealed with a red velvet bow. It was the end of January, but regardless the younger woman said thank you and set to work opening the box as her flame haired, curvaceous and boldly styled aunt pottered around the kitchen she'd barely ever set foot in. 

The large colonial house belonged to her, but she hardly spent any time there in recent years, beyond dropping off the trinkets and relics she'd picked up on her travels. She'd chosen instead to dedicate her life to teaching philosophy to people all around the world. "You're keeping this place looking wonderful, I almost feel like I should come home more."

Allie snickered, tucking a curl of dark hair behind her ear before trying again to free up the tight knot in the bow that held the wrapping paper together. "I wouldn't complain about that, it gets lonely here. Especially when Henry is working a night shift." 

"Oh? I thought that's what you wanted, a quiet place to write?" Juliette frowned, poking through cupboards looking for a bottle of liquor to liven up her coffee. 

"Well, it is, but you know..." Allie shrugged, she did enjoy the fact her cousin's career left her in an empty house a lot, but she found herself getting lonely at times. 

After a minute of struggling she finally freed the knot and both the bow and paper fell free from the gift, revealing a an aged black velvet box. She didn't need to open it to know what it was going to be, her aunt had a terrible habit of buying expensive jewellery for all her nieces. 

Excited to see what exactly was inside, Allie opened the hinged box, which gave a painful creak as it revealed a remarkably beautiful pendant on a matching chain. Silver filigree embraced a heart shaped gem, the likes of which Allie had never seen before. 

She bought it closer to her eyes to study it, staring into the nebula that was capture inside the stone. Watching as blues and purples within that seemed to swirl and mix with the twinkling glitters of pink and silver. "Wow....this is...." she paused, mesmerized by the gem. "....I've never seen anything like it before."

"Neither had I, but Marrakesh sure has it's wonders." Juliette remarked as she moved over to the kitchen island where Allie was seated. "The man who sold it to me thought it was some kind of opal, but he wasn't sure. I thought you'd like it."

"I love it. It's beautiful." Allie beamed, cradling the pendant in her fingers, mesmerized by the brilliance of colour and luster trapped within the stone. 

"Here!" Juliette said, and stepped behind Allie, gathering her hair to one side and taking the pendant from her to careful fasten it around her neck. "It's hundreds of years old, maybe older. Possibly even Egyptian." 

"It must have cost a fortune." Allie said uncomfortably, she felt bad enough living rent free in her Aunt's home, she didn't need flashy gifts to boot. 

"Never mind about that, who else do I have to spend money on?" Juliette smiled, stepping in front of Allie again to take her and the necklace in. "It looks wonderful on you, I knew it would." 

The younger woman touched her finger tips to the necklace that sat perfectly between her collar bone. It was heavier than she expected but something about the beauty of it made her pull her shoulders back proudly. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Juliette smiled, kissing Allie's forehead. "Now, I must get packed. My flight leaves at eleven."

"Where are you going this time?" Allie wondered, struggling to keep up with her aunt's adventures. She was constantly bouncing around the world like a wild rubber ball. 

"Singapore. I'll be speaking at the university there until Easter. So feel free to have some wild parties or bring some boys round, liven this house up a bit." she gestured around the modern kitchen where there wasn't a pin out of place. 

When she'd first bought the house in the eighties it had been filled almost every night by her educated friends who drank and laughed well into the small hours of the morning. Yet despite the current calmness, the place wasn't lacking in personality or life. The travel bug had bitten Juliette years ago and taken her away for months at a time, but her absence had returned a wealth of strange art works, statues, and trinkets that she's bought back from afar, filling the house with character and warmth, making it somewhat of an Aladin's Cave. 

Allie gave an awkward smile, she appreciated the sentiment but she wasn't the type for wild parties. Since moving to upstate New York she hadn't met many people who she'd care to hang around with. She had friends in the city, and more extended family further up north, but the moment she was happy hanging out at home, focusing on writing articles for two online publications and attempting to complete her first children's book, which she was illustrating too. Her days were full, and the only men she really wanted in her life were her two dogs, and a handful of fictional characters. 

"Anyway, I'm off to pack, darling! My flight leaves at eleven." Juliette announced and made a start for the kitchen door. "Oh, before I forget. Apparently there's a poem or some such in the box. The man in the antique stall seemed to think it was quite important." With that, in a ball of colour and energy, she was gone, leaving Allie sitting at the kitchen counter alone with a confused frown on her face. 

She picked up the box again and looked inside the lid. Sure enough there was a small scroll was wedged into the lid. The paper was aged and looked like parchment of some sort. It was with a thin silk ribbon, pink in colour but it that had lost its most of its sheen some years earlier. She untied the knot and unrolled the scroll, revealing a short poem written in beautiful cursive, ink clearly from some kind of fountain pen or maybe even a quill. 

_'She who weareth this pendant,_  
_Shall have three wishes be._  
_Speaketh desires three times clear,  
_ _And that she will truly see._

_Her hearts truest intention will clarify the choice,  
_ _Words of love spoke three times true,_  
_Helps the magic find her voice.'_

Allie scoffed, someone had surely seen her aunt coming. It was far too easy to imagine an antique salesman concocting some elaborate story about the pendant, having forged an aged scroll to give it all a mystique that could double its value and relieve some naive traveller of their local currency. 

She would have loved to be spirited enough to believe in magic, or genies or three wishes, but she didn't. Nothing had ever come easy to her, and every wish she'd ever made before had gone unfulfilled. Hell, if believed there was any such power that could grant wishes she did she'd be living in her own big house, somewhere significantly warmer than Yorktown Heights. 

Shaking her head in amusement, she rolled the scroll back up and tied it together, popping it into place in the lid of the box and closing everything up again. Paying no more mind to the false promise written down, she got up and put the box into a draw on the kitchen sideboard, and headed back to the room on ground floor that she'd taken over as her office. 

She still had a pile of articles to make a start on, and several emails to reply to, but there was only one thing she wanted to do -the only thing she'd been able to properly focus on in weeks- replaying the story of the ill fated, but kind hearted virtual cowboy that had entirely taken over her thoughts. 

She told herself if did a couple of hours work she could reward herself with a few hours of roaming around with him in the beautiful, but fictional landscapes of the game he lived in. Knowing if she picked up the control before starting work, she'd be lost forever in the virtual world, where she was determined to experiencing everything for a second time to its absolute fullest. Foolishly hoping somehow she could change how his story ended or give him a little happiness before things went so sour. 

Eager to get to the fun and spend her evening doing something that was sheer enjoyment, she set to work on finishing her first article of the year. Hoping she could get all her thoughts out in one go and put the damn thing to rest in favour of an evening spent with the handsome and fascinating -but entirely fictional- Arthur Morgan.


	2. Speak Not In Jest

Aunt Juliette had been gone for almost three weeks, and Allie couldn't deny she was jealous of the photos she'd seen on social media. The warm sunshine, fancy hotels and glowing blue swimming pools of Singapore were worlds away from the cold icy rain and bitter northern winds that were battering down on New York state and the large, but still modest, colonial house. Allie knew it was only a matter of time before the snows came back too, forcing her and her cousin Henry to go back to fighting over whose turn it was to shovel the driveway so they could get their cars out. 

Most of east coast were sound asleep already, wrapped up nice and warm, safely in doors and oblivious to the rains that hammered down on their homes and the dark streets outside. Allie however was still sitting up, watching the end credits roll on her video game adventure, tears streaming down her face for a second time, as pain in her heart lingered from the saddest fictional journey she'd ever been on. 

She sighed to herself, sliding her new necklace from side to side along its chain thoughtfully for a moment or two, before picking up her phone. She opened the camera application and raised the phone level to her face, taking a selfie with an exaggeratedly sad expression, and captioning it _'Hurt Myself Again #RDR2 #RIPArthur_ ' and posted it to her social media, just as one of her dogs over to nudge her elbow over his head, encouraging her to make a fuss of him. "Thanks boy," she smiled, putting the phone down. "I know you'd be sad too if you could play." she said, setting to rubbing the curly furred, black dog's ears. 

Her phone suddenly lit up with an incoming call and she leaned in to look at the display, it was her best friend and fellow videogame enthusiast - Liz. Allie patted the dog's head and picked up the phone, answering with a heavy sigh, "Hey girl!" 

"I can't believe you would go through that again, I can barely think about starting up a new game without crying, the hell is wrong with you?" she joked. 

"I know, I know. I'm a glutton for punishment. I just wanted to play again, and you know..."

"See if there was some way to save him?"

Allie laughed softly. "I guess."

"Rockstar have a lot to answer for."

"Yeah, don't they just!" Allie sighed into her Iphone, it was good to know her best friend was feeling her pain on the other end. "Oh Lizzie, I'm just so sad. Why did he have to die? Surely there was another way."

"Like I said the first time, we need to write a strongly worded letter to Rockstar and demand some fix-it DLC because I am still so broken, I don't think I'm ever going to be able to play it again." 

"Well, I can tell you it helps. It was nice to be able to spend time doing all the little missions and exploring every corner before the shit hit the fan, but in a way, it just makes it all so much more horrible." Allie griped. "I thought Red Dead one and The Last Of Us fucked me up but this is..." she felt her eyes stinging with fresh tears again and squeezed them shut. "....This is something else. I just keep thinking back to Arthur's last scene and crying all over again." 

"I know. It's fucked up. I don't know why they did him so dirty." 

"Me either." she sighed, wiping her eyes with the heel of her hand. "I just....he deserved better...they made us love him so much only to take him from us and it's so unfair. I think I'm just gonna go back to my first manual save and pretend like the rest didn't happen."

"Sounds like a good plan to me. As long as you got them gold bars before the patched it" Liz chuckled, and Allie did too for a moment, but it turned into another heavy, deflated sigh. 

"I hate that I've become so attached to him...." Allie fiddled with her pendant again, wondering if she should confess her true feelings for only a moment before they came spilling from her mouth. "I just....I wish he was real, you know? So I could find him and try give him some Goddamned happiness." The line crackled and Liz's voice became momentarily distant. 

"You still there? You broke up a little bit then?"

Allie sat up a little straighter and focused. "Yeah...I'm here...Hello?"

"Hey! I can hear you!" Liz replied, her voice quality and volume back to normal. 

"Sorry, my phone is acting funny. I think it's this storm." she didn't want to repeat herself, feeling a little foolish at the notion, but she wanted to know she wasn't alone in how she was feeling. Before she could think to move the subject along could she was saying those words again. "I just wish he was real, that there was some way to pull him out of the game and give him a shot at a happy life that he deserved, you know?" A strange whumping sound rang out through the phone again, making Allie pull it away from her ear as the lights in her office surged once, then twice. Her eyes widened nervously as she looked around, grasping at her pendant as some kind of comfort. It felt warm to the touch but she paid it no mind as she focused on the two dogs who were suddenly alert from their perch on the nearby couch and looking around the room too. 

"Dude?" Liz's voice cried from the phone. "What the fuck is going on? Your phone sounds like a Daleck is trying to hump it!" 

"Goddamn storm!" Allie groaned, unfolding her legs from her office chair and standing up, moving over to the window. "Is this better? This storm is really messing with my electrics tonight."

"Mine are fine." Liz replied. 

"Well, that's because you're in the city. I'm practically in the Boonies out here."

"Ah, you love it! Little Miss Reclusive Writer." Liz teased. "Anyway, what did you say before the storm rudely interrupted our mourning?"

Allie sighed and dropped her shoulders, she felt foolish for having to say it again but she meant it and she wanted to feel valid in her desire by having someone she trusted relate to how she felt. "I said...I wish Arthur was real-" Suddenly her phone popped and buzzed like a dozen text alerts had all come through at once, she yelped and dropped it, jumping backwards away from it, as if it had suddenly caught fire. 

"Fuck!" she spat. Staring down at it on the floor as it danced and fizzled around on the carpet as the lights all around her flickered and flashed like it was Christmas all over again. The dogs were up off the couch and prancing around with excitement, unsure what the fuss was about but ready for a party regardless. 

Worried about what the hell was going on, and what damage she'd done to her phone, Allie settled the dogs and quickly bent to pick the handset back up, turning it over to inspect the screen and finding it a mass of dancing, swirling colours. "Oh fantastic!" she groaned, another expensive smart phone turned into a paperweight. "Piece of shit!" 

"Hey! You better not be talking to me, bitch!" Liz threw back, no heat to her words. 

Suddenly the phone righted itself, lighting up and returning to the call-in-progress screen. Allie made a face, confused by had happened to her phone, but thinking no more of it before putting it back to her ear. "Of course not, you know I love you." she chuckled, turning to watch as the dogs ran out of the study. 

"You better!" Liz said, the playful smirk audible in her voice. "Anyways, I'm gonna have to love ya and leave ya. I've gotta be up at six to go unpack all this new art we've got on loan from Italy. Hit me up if you fancy hoppin' a train into the city, you can come see this new exhibition we're putting on and then stay at mine. We could go get drunk and have a proper debrief over this cowboy heartbreak?"

"Absolutely! Sounds like a plan. Sleep well, love."

"You too. Don't be starting a new game again now either, get to bed."

Allie laughed, it was sometimes as if her best friend could read her mind. "Yes, boss." 

"See ya soon. N'nite."

"Nite!" with that they disconnected and Allie moved away from the window and back to her desk. Putting down her phone and picking up the controller again to shut off her Playstation. As much as she wanted to see Arthur once more, healthy and happy before it all went wrong, she was content to go to bed in the knowledge that she'd killed that rat bastard Micah Bell again. 

She promised herself she'd spend a little time exploring New Austin as John Marston in the morning, while doing her best to avoid the urge to start yet another new game. Exerting some self control, she turned off her monitor and headed for the door, yet the sudden silence in the room allowed for her ears to pick up on a worrying sound that froze her in her tracks. 

She frowned to herself, as the hairs at the back of her neck prickled - her dogs were barking wildly and it was gone two in the morning. She swallowed hard on a lump of sudden anxiety and told herself not to panic, considering the most logical explanation for the disturbance. 

"Goddamnit, if that's that fox again!" she hissed. Expecting to find the pest was in the backyard once more, trying to get itself some dinner in the shape of next-door's rabbit, but it seemed a bit wet and cold out for much life to be stalking through the night. 

Shrugging up the shoulder of her stupidly baggy t-shirt, Allie turned off the light and padded barefoot out of her study into the hallway. Feeling a little on edge with the aggression in the voices of her dogs, she headed down to the front door to check it was locked up tightly. There had been a recent spate of burglaries in the local area and she was suddenly feeling a little unsafe. 

She was home alone, apart from the dogs and wayward cat, asleep in some strange place around the house. Her cousin-come-housemate was working the nightshift at a nearby hospital again, and wouldn't be home until dawn at the earliest. 

As much as she loved having the place to herself, she found it a little creepy at times, and since the dogs rarely barked at anything that didn't require attention, Allie found herself becoming nervous. Suddenly her simple plans of taking a quick shower and getting straight off to sleep were sideswiped by worries of what could be if she check what exactly was causing such a commotion. 

She followed the deafening noise into the kitchen, troubled by the way the dogs seemed to be getting angrier and angrier the closer she got to the door. "What's the matter with you two?" she asked out, stepping into the kitchen to find the patio doors out into the garden were lit up by the security light. 

A faint whisper of fear brushed through her gut; she knew the light only went off when something bigger than a cat entered the garden. She told herself firmly that it had to be that damn mangy looking fox again, as she apprehensively stepped closer to the glass doors. Trying to calm the two large dogs as their voices quietened to grumbles and they circled around her protectively. 

It was pouring with rain outside, sheets coming down without a seconds pause, making it hard to see more than a foot or two out beyond the double glazed glass. She cupped her hand against pressed it against the cold glass to try and defuse the reflection from the security light, pressing her nose right up against the glass and squinting to see through the showering rain. 

She gasped. 

There was someone out in the back yard. Not a fox at all, but a large, male figure. 

"Oh fuck!" she gasped, stepping back in fright. Her first instinct was to check the doors were locked, draw the curtains, grab the dogs and run upstairs to her room to hide. The recent rise in crime in the neighbourhood over had set her on edge in the daytime, now with a strange man in her backyard in the middle of the night she felt terrified. 

Quickly she weighed up her options, she could go and hide and hope for the best, or find her inner bad ass and defend her home. She'd only lived in her aunt's house for a year, and she didn't want to tarnish it with such a bad experience but she knew she wouldn't rest unless she did something. 

Determined to make a stand, she quickly hurried to the back of the kitchen, into the utility area, grabbing the dog leashes off the hook and checking the side door was locked up tight too. She rushed back into the kitchen, and slipped the collars over each of the dog's necks and gripped onto them tightly, ready to flee the house if necessary, before deciding to reach across the kitchen counter and grab a knife from the block by the sink. 

"Alright, mother fucker!" she hissed to herself and moved to the patio doors, tucking the handles of the dogs long leashes into the waistband of her yoga pants to keep some level of a hold on them, before telling them firmly to sit and stay. Their obedience allowed her to hold the knife in one hand while she fiddled at the door lock with the other. 

She took a deep breath, and told herself she was just going to open the door a couple of inches. Just enough to stick part of her face out a little way and shout to whoever was there, tell them to fuck off and then slam the door shut, grab hold of the leashes again and get ready to dial the cops. Or more likely make a mad dash out of the front door, to run screaming across the street to the safety of a neighbour's house. 

"Alright guys, let's show this idiot who he's messing with." she said to the dogs who were now sitting silently, waiting on their next command but still fixated on the figure in the garden. Whoever it was, was still lurking out there. A tall dark figure, standing smack in the center of the lawn, fixed to the spot and looking around the garden hopelessly, like that John Travolta meme she'd seen a hundred times. 

Nervously, she grasped the handle of the door and slid it open, stepping up to the gap quickly and poking her face out into the cold as the rain fell loudly all around. "Whoever's out there, you've got ten seconds to fuck off before I release the dogs. You hear?" 

The figure stopped moving and looked directly at her, the flood light and pouring rain made it impossible to identify anything about them at such a distance, other than their tall, broad frame. "TEN!...NINE!" she began as the figure moved closer. "EIGHT!" her voice began to shake, her threat didn't seem to land with any weight with whoever was out there. "SEVEN!" she threw out, taking the knife from her other hand and readying it, as the two dogs broke their commands and began prancing excitedly, sniffing and snorting at the gap in the door. 

"Hello?" a male voice called out to her, his drawl eerily recognizable. "Ma'am? I'm....I'm not looking' to hurt you...I just....I don't know where I am." The figure drew closer, moving into the pocket of light that pooled across the patio. Allie's head began to swim, that voice sounded so familiar, yet the connections she was making in her head didn't add up to any reality she knew. "Can you help me?" the man called out hopefully, finally stepping close enough to reveal himself to her fully. 

A tall, broad shouldered man, wearing a tan jacket, dark pants and boots, with a brimmed cowboy hat on his head and a satchel draped across his body. 

"Hoooooly shit!" she gasped, taking a step back, her head suddenly spinning like a top. _How could it be?_ Feeling herself begin to sway as the shockwave rocked her to her core, she dropped the knife and grabbed on to the wall to steady herself. _It couldn't be, could it?_

She took a few deep breaths, stepping back up to the gap in the door and peeking out again, feeling herself starting to shake with a heady mixture of emotions. "Arthur?..." she called out, fearing madness had infected her brain. "Is that really you?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so...like I said - crack!fic. Just through it would be fun to propel poor Arthur into the modern world against his will haha! It won't be a massively long fic, but I am open to taking requests for what you'd like Arthur to experience in the modern world across the course of the story. So hit me up in the comments if you're got a burning desire to see him in some strange situation or another. I'd love to hear what you guys think, comments and kudos give me life. Thanks for reading xoxox


	3. The Where And The When

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thanks to all you guys who left me kudos and comments on the first couple of chapters, you give me so much life! I hope you all enjoy this next part as much! :)

Arthur's head was swimming. He'd been standing in that spot for what felt like hours, unable to move his feet one direction or another, completely uncertain of where to go under the bright glare of the lamp attached to the side of the building before him. One minute everything had been calm, warm, quiet, and dark, the next he was covered in brilliant white light again, standing in an ice cold rain shower with some strange woman shouting at him. 

His eyes shifted left, then right, and left again before focusing back on her. It was hard to make out anything about her properly against the glare, but if she had even half a clue about what was going on, she would be a damn sight wiser than he felt. 

"Miss?" he called back over the heavy rain. "How d'you know my name?" He sounded gruffer, and more threatening than he intended to, the mix of anger and nerves bubbling away in his stomach controlling his tone. "An' where the hell am I?" 

The sound of his voice sent Allie into a sudden burst of hysterical laughter. She clamped her hand over her mouth and stepped back away from the door, as her pulse began to pound in her ears, sending her vision tunneling. Limbs going weak, awash with complete shock and disbelief of what was unfolding before her. 

Confused and wholly panicked, she began to feel herself quickly slipping under a blanket of darkness, but mentally she pushed back against it, refusing to fall like some hopeless maiden in a badly written romance. She shook the chaotic sensation away from the front of her head, calmed herself with a deep breath and stepped back to the patio door to look out again at the figure in the rain. 

"You....You can't" she stopped short, having no clue what to say and having seemingly lost the ability to get coherent words out. She just looked him up and down again, stunned to silent awe by the very sight of how - what was once pixels, had evolved into human form. "This can't be happening!" 

Another wave of mystification crashed against her and she turned away from the door, grabbing for a dining chair to steady herself as she dropped the knife on the table and loosed the dogs leashes. Unintentionally giving them the freedom to rush to the patio doors, to nudge them open and run on out into the rain battered garden. Barking and yowling at the figure who seemed to take no issue with settling them down and greeting them properly. 

"Hey fellers!" Arthur soothed and instinctively the dog's barks turned to grumbles and whines for attention. Kneeling -despite the pouring rain- he introduced himself to the two protective, but ultimately terrible guard dogs. "Good boys!" he purred, as he patted one then the other. A strange sense of relief coming over him as he reckoned that wherever he was, dogs seemed to still be held in good favour. 

"What the fuck is going on!" Allie muttered to herself inside, slumped in the dinning chair, her head falling into her hands as her vision swirled and her heart raced. _'....This is just a weird dream, right? I have to be asleep right now. This is....'_ groggily she turned her head to look through the patio doors to where Arthur was making a fuss of her dogs in the pouring rain. _'Have I finally lost my damn mind?'_ she asked herself, uncertain what it meant for the dogs to have seen him too. It all just had to be some kind of dream, he couldn't really be there, being sniffed by her dogs, who were being pet in return. 

How did someone that was made purely of computer animation have the ability to touch something real? How was a man that had lived and died in a monitor, little more than a super sophisticated drawing, be standing there, large as life in her backyard? What sense did it make? _'What the hell kind of freaky-friday-twilight-zone bullshit is happening here'_ It had to be a dream, it was impossible in any other way. 

"Miss?" that familiar gruff drawl called out, snapping her from her thoughts with a start. "You okay?" 

Startled, she shifted in her chair and looked over her shoulder to see he was leaning in through the door, too cautious or too polite to step inside without invitation. In a sense of almost painful disbelief, Allie took a deep breath and pushed back against the insanity she felt. 

"Alright! "I'm gonna close my eyes, count to ten, try and snap myself out of this. Remind me never to eat cheese this late again." she told herself out loud, hoping it would be enough to break through whatever hallucination she was having. 

Closing her eyes tightly, she began to count steadily. "One.....Two....Three.....Fou-SHIT!" she jumped up from her chair in fright, at the shock of bitterly cold water splattering against what skin she had bared. A gift from her two soggy mutts who took no qualms in shaking themselves all over the kitchen, and spraying her with rain water. "Jesus Christ!" she cried wiping off both her arms and t-shirt frantically, completely forgetting that he was there until a gentle warmth placed itself on her shoulder. 

"Miss?"

She jumped again, a different kind of fright that sent her spinning around to face him wide-eyed - he'd touched her. _HE!_ The character that less than a matter of minutes ago had only existed in pixels (gloriously grafted and beautifully realistic pixels, but pixels nonetheless) had just touched her shoulder. 

In shock she scrambled away, her eyes scanning him all over as best she could in the defused glow from the security light outside, which set him in little more than silhouette, as he stood there merely a centimeter over the threshold. 

"This is crazy! I'm actually going crazy! Finally!" she laughed, tears made of mixed emotions stinging her eyes. She'd been through so much shit in the past eighteen months, it made sense that she'd finally snap just when she was getting a handle on rebuilding her life. _'Girl, you have lost your damn mind!'_ It seemed obvious that the last thread of sanity she held on had slipped from her grasp, there was no other explanation or a plausible means to say he could possibly be there, in the flesh, able to touch her, and speak to her so naturally. No, it made far more sense to believe that the distress she'd felt from losing him in the game had shook free the last bolt that held all her broken together. 

"I'm sorry, Miss. I don't mean ya no harm, I just...I dunno where I am." he voice was softer than when he'd first spoken, like he was trying to calm a startled animal. Raising his hands to her to show he came in pace, even though he knew the knife and revolver hanging at his hip suggested otherwise. "D'you know me?" 

She just stared at him blankly, unable to string a coherent thought together, as the security light suddenly switched off and left them standing in nothing but moonlight and the sound of falling rain, casting a strange and uneasy sense of calm on the room. 

"I....I..." she couldn't even begin to find the words; how would she ever explain to him what was going on without force feeding him a large helping of her own insanity? 

Growing ever more flustered, she knew she needed to try to wake up from this crazy as fuck dream, and as quickly as possible, before it started to feel any more real. She hurried over to the sink and ran the cold tap, hoping she wouldn't need to try to find any words of explanation for him, as she pulled her dark hair back into a ponytail, and splashed water on her face. Desperately trying to shock herself out of the hallucination. 

"Wake up, you dumb bitch!" she scolded herself. "Wake up! This is not fun, it's too real. Wake up!" With cold water dripping down her face and soaking through her t-shirt to her chest, she pinched the back of her wet hand - _hard_ but nothing changed, he was still there standing by the door, looking at her like a lost puppy. Her stomach turned at the thought that her mental health was swirling the drain. "WAKE! UP!" she barked, slapping her own face in a desperate bid to get free of the alarmingly realistic delusion she was locked in. 

"Miss!" Arthur called again, his tone growing worried at the sight of her hurting herself. She looked to him sharply, her blue eyes locking onto his. "You're not asleep," he assured "At least...I don't think you are....I might be, but..." he hesitated on that, trying not to consider exactly 'what' he'd been before arriving there. "...I ain't got a Goddamned clue what the hell is goin' on here." 

Allie shut off the tap and the kitchen fell still again, the only sound from the rain hammering against the windows and two dogs tails slapping rhythmically against the cabinet at the far side of the room. Slowly, she turned to face him, he hadn't moved from the spot just inside the sliding door, although he'd drawn it to behind him to keep the cold out. 

In the silence she became aware of how her breathing was shallow and ragged, her head still swimming with questions and fear for what the hell was going wrong in her mind to have concocted such a vivid scene. Yet despite her confusion and distress, she felt no fear. 

She swallowed hard, trying to center herself and devise a plan of action. It seemed abundantly clear that she wasn't going to be able to snap herself out of it -delusion or not- all she could do was face up to the situation and see where it lead her. 

"Wh-what's....the last thing you remember, before you got here I mean?" she asked him nervously. 

"I-." Arthur hesitated, clearly as unsure of everything as she was. "A sunrise." he whispered, and an ache filled Allie's chest with his recollection. "I was in a lotta pain an'...I think....maybe...I died...then...I....I dunno." he gave a shrug. "There was lots'a light.....I saw some people I lost." he paused, lingering on the sweet memory of being reunited with his family and his beautiful boy. "...Pictures from time t' time too," he continued. "New things I ain't seen before...but mostly just...just this, quiet nothingness....then this." he gestured to the room, looking around again as best he could in the darkness, trying to find some clues about where he was. There wasn't much to go on, other than strange sets of glowing numbers cast on the dark backdrop behind where she stood, and shiny contraptions reflecting moonlight on the countertops, but nothing he recognized. "....I dunno what any a'this is. Where am I?" 

"New York state." she told him, but hesitated for a moment, pondering how quickly to pull off the band aid. Even if he was just a beautiful illusion, she didn't want to hurt him. "And it's....it's the year is twenty eighteen." 

"New York?" he laughed deeply. "That's ridiculous." 

"Oh," Allie gasped, mouth holding open, her confusion and nerves suddenly pushed to one side. "But being a hundred and twenty years in the future makes sense?" 

Arthur's face creased in thought. "Well, no but...." he waved his hand, giving his head a shake too. "Oh, I dunno what the hell is goin' on, Miss. Forgive me, but you could just 'bout knock me down with a feather right now." 

The look on his face garnered sympathy, and suddenly she was aware of how he must have felt. Even though she was frightened and confused, at least she was at home, in the world she knew. A place that felt safe and familiar. 

"I'm sorry." she soothed, moving away from the sink towards the end of the counter, uneasy with the idea of getting too close to him in case she got attached to the idea of him being there, only for him to vanish somehow. "This is just....I think I'm losing my mind." and the truth was, she had call to. 

The past eighteen months had been a terrible ride, and one she'd barely kept hold of her sanity through. Full of loss, distress and upheaval to the point where every day felt like a battle and where open wounds the fight had left her with still waited for scar tissue to form. It stood to reason that she'd be having some kind of snap after all she'd been through, but she figured it was wise to be grateful that at least loss of sanity had come in such a handsome form. 

"You an' me both." Arthur chuckled softly. "If you could just tell me..." he stopped short on a soft scoff of laughter. "I was gunna say whereabouts I am _exactly_ so I can be on my way, but I guess I ain't got no way to be on no more." He was confused about his current state, but his memories of his final days were the clearest thing in his mind. 

There was nothing left of the gang or the cause they'd fought for. What remained of the family he'd once had was scattered everywhere and nowhere. There was no camp to find his way back to this time, no trail to pick up, even if he'd been in his own time still. That part of his life was over and he was truly lost in every sense of the word. 

"I'm sorry about what happened to you." she said instinctively, as if he'd been a long time friend, but she shook her head, thinking how ridiculous she sounded. 

Arthur's brows knitted together. "You know 'bout what happened to me?" 

"Kind of." 

"But....how? You're... _it's_...Jesus Christ, my head is spinnin'!" he sighed in disbelief, his shoulders dropping as if he was defeated already. 

Allie chuckled nervously. "Mine too." She guessed this was where she was now, alone in her house, talking to herself, imaging a _formerly_ fictional cowboy dripping rain water all over her kitchen floor. While her two dogs looked at him like he was their long lost master, and he looked at her with those beautiful, sad eyes that showed just how alone and afraid he was beneath the strong, capable looking exterior. 

Her heart ached at the sight of him, and she knew she couldn't just leave him standing there, wondering what the hell was going on. Mental aberration or not, the very least he deserved was a little kindness. "You want a drink? I got some whiskey."

Arthur nodded on instinct alone. "Yeah. That'd be good, thanks." 

Allie swallowed hard, not knowing where on earth to begin, but one thing was for certain. "I guess there's some explaining to do."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I mentioned before, if anyone has any suggestions or requests for what things they'd like Arthur to encounter in the real world, let me know and I'll try my best to fit it in. Thanks for reading! I'd love to hear your thoughts, and hope you're all eager for more! :)


	4. The How

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, thank you for the love on the last chapter. I'm so pleased you're enjoying this adventure, it's a lot of fun to write and the concept has been evolving rapidly in my head, so what was originally a purely silly idea is becoming a fully fleshed out story haha! Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this next installment!

"Here," Allie called softly, jumping into mom-friend-mode that was triggered by the sad, lost look on Arthur's face. "Lemme get you a towel." she reached out to take his jacket but hesitated, he'd touched her, and her dogs, but would she even be able to touch him back? Would the illusion shatter as soon as she reached out to him? 

Arthur looked at her oddly, he still couldn't see her too well in the darkness, but he took her cue and peeled the wet tan coloured jacket off himself. He handed it to her carefully but when his rough fingertips touched hers accidentally and she visibly shivered. "Oh God!" she gasped, realizing that he was in fact a flesh and blood man. Standing there in front of her by some kind of witchcraft or trickery or gargantuan mental fucking breakdown. 

Trying to pull herself together, she gathered the jacket from him and felt surprised at the weigh something of his in her hands, something she was so strangely familiar with already. "Sit down. I'll be back." Gesturing to the dining table, she quickly headed to the back of the kitchen, flicking the light on at the wall as she passed by the switch on route to the utility room. 

Her instinctive intention had been to shove the jacket into the dryer, as she would have done for anyone else, but she hesitated when she realized nineteenth century clothes probably wouldn't survive a modern drying cycle. The jacket looked kind of like suede and she hated the idea of ruining something that was so completely 'him'. 

Screwing her mouth to one side, she thought for a moment, a plan quickly popping up in her head. Mind set, she pulled a clothes hanger from the shelf over the dryer and tucked it into the shoulders of the jacket, before snatching two towels from the heated rail on the far wall and carefully replacing them with his jacket. Hoping the gentle heat would be enough to dry the coat out but not damage it any way. 

With that, she hurried back into the kitchen, to find Arthur was sitting down at the table, chair pulled out a little way to allow him to make a fuss of the two dogs again, hat resting on the surface before him. He looked so natural it seemed as if he'd been a regular visitor to her home for years, and seeing him so at ease settled her nerves just a little. 

"Here." she said, handing him the warm towels, which he took with a grateful nod. Putting it around his shoulders quickly, eager to absorb the rain that had soaked into the collar of his favourite and well worn blue shirt. 

Flying on autopilot Allie went to the cabinet at the opposite side of the room and took out two glasses and a bottle of fancy whiskey her aunt had bought back from Scotland some years earlier. She returned to Arthur and placed everything on the table, then sat down opposite him. Her eyes struggling to so much as glance in his direction as she pouring out two drinks, passing him one and wasting no time in knocking hers back. Hoping the burn of alcohol would shake her out of the strange daze that hung over her. 

Arthur was still looking round curiously, taking everything in properly now he could see better with the light on. The bright clean kitchen was quite a sight, so many cupboards and shiny contraptions dotted around. The place was spotless, and so bright, the clutter free countertops seemed unnatural compared to what he'd known over the years. He'd only been in one room but already the place was like nothing he'd ever seen before and none of it made sense. Even the slim metal arch arrangement over the sink looked peculiar, although he guessed that whatever it was had perhaps replaced the bulky indoor iron pumps of his time. 

"This is so...." he couldn't find the right word. A dozen different ones seemed to fit and fail him all at once. 

"Strange?" 

"Bit more than just strange." he chuckled, focusing his attentions on the new face across the table from him. 

Now there was more light he could see how attractive she was, and how bewildered she looked too. He'd already established that she was of slender build, and looked quite tall too, but now he could see the finer details of her appearance, like her big blue eyes that were hardly blinking as she stared at him. Full lips hanging slightly open as if she wanted to speak but couldn't find her voice, as damp strands of long dark hair stuck to the sides of her pretty face. Counting his blessings that he'd at least found himself lost in the company of a beautiful woman, he knocked back the amber liquid and allowed his body to relax a little in its warmth. 

"You're telling me." she smiled faintly as she struggled not to bounce her leg with nervous energy. Feeling prickling heat tingling through her as she looked him over. God, he was handsome! The game hadn't done him justice at all. 

"I know I was dead." he said outright, snapping Allie's thoughts back to the mess they were in. "But is this...." he hesitated, clearly not wanting to say heaven or hell or purgatory. "The afterlife?"

Allie gave a hollow, dejectedly laugh, feeling overwhelmed at the very idea of trying to explain the situation to him. "No, I don't think so. But I don't know what to tell you. I have no idea how you're even here right now." 

"Well, can you explain how you know me at least?" 

"I can, but it would probably just confuse you even more and I'm not sure any of it would make sense either." 

"Well, I ain't got a damn clue 'bout nothin' right now," he sighed. "...so have at it." 

She took a deep breath and poured another drink, reaching out to top Arthur's up before knocking hers back. Searching her mind for a place to start but guessing it was best if she just spoke from the heart, as best she could. 

"I know who you are, through something called a videogame." she began.

Arthur tilted his head, confused. "A what now?"

"A videogame...it's-" she stopped short, not having the first clue how to explain what one was to someone who had no understanding of the modern world. Especially a game that was so beautiful and detailed as the one he'd stepped straight out from. "It's...kinda like a story, but in moving pictures that a person gets to be a part of...."

He mulled that notion over for a moment or two before asking for more. "Alright?"

"A person playing the video-game would take over the part of a specific character, so it's kind of like a really elaborate play, like in the theatre?" He nodded, showing he was following. "...but it's on a screen and the person controls the lead character themselves....The lead character, who is this really great, realistic, detailed drawing, that moves naturally with a voice and sounds and interactions....Oh God!" she stopped short, the puzzled look on his face wasn't filling her with any confidence. "I'm sorry, I'm just making you more confused, aren't I?"

Arthur didn't answer for a moment, he just pondered her words trying to form a picture of what she spoke in his mind. "So I was...in a play...made a'drawings?" he worried. 

Allie kicked herself, she wasn't explaining anything very well. "I guess. You were the lead character in the videogame that I just finished playing." All he could do was blink at her, staring blankly as the cogs slowly turned. "The game, it was....it _is_ about your life story, in a way. About your life with Dutch and Hosea and..."

Something connected and a spark lit in his eyes. "So I'm famous, in this time?"

"Well, yes and no. You weren't, until the game came out. You're...." she hesitated, worried her next words would break his mind. "You're...essentially, a fictional character. Like Macbeth, or Captain Ahab." 

Arthur looked so deeply confused. "But I can't ....I'm not....I...." he stopped on a sigh and a gentle shake of his head. "How can I be _fictional_ , if I'm here?" 

"I don't know. That I can't tell you. I have no idea how this happened or how you could possibly be here right now. I'm sorry." On that note, they fell silent. Focusing their attentions on their glasses for a moment or two, before Allie refilled them just as Arthur spoke up again. 

"So my life, was like a play for you? Like them movin' picture stories in the theatre?"

"Yeah, just a much _much_ more advanced version. The game, told me...or the people who are playing it right now, all about you...your life...your childhood....I got to see everything you went through.... _recently_..." that sounded like the most ridiculous word she could use, considering his story had been set over a hundred years ago, but it was the best she had to go with. 

Arthur was still confused, but he guessed at least she'd given him an opening to question things better. "How much d'you see? You know 'bout me gettin' sick?"

Allie nodded. "Yeah. I saw everything from the time you found shelter on the mountain until...." she trailed off, the sadness she felt was still barely buried below the surface. Even though he had just been a fictional character, his death had caused her real pain. "....Until Micah and Dutch....on the cliff...." Arthur nodded, vision still so fresh in his mind. "I wish there'd been something I could do to stop all that but your story was decided long before I ever got a chance to know you." 

Arthur rubbed the back of his neck, as he looked down at his hands resting on the table. "This is crazy."

"I know. As much for you as it is for me." Another comfortable silence came over them for a few minutes, as they each sipped their drinks and tried to digest just what was being forced down their throats. 

"So when you was playin' this...vid-e-ah game..." he held her eyes for a moment, blue on blue, waiting for her to nod and confirm he'd said it right. "....you just watched me do things or you have some kinda say in it all?" For the last few weeks of his life he had a strange, unsettling feeling that he wasn't entirely in control of himself. He'd put it down to his illness, and how he'd heard it was supposed to change a man and bring forth clarity with deterioration. He'd assumed that feeling was also in part it to do with how he'd been so desperate to make amends for all his ill deeds before life left him, but he couldn't deny it had always felt like something more had been guiding him to make the right choices. 

"For the most part how things unfold is already decided," Allie explained. "But people who play the game get to have you do what they want, decided where you go, what you wear, things like that. There's usually a couple of options when choices come up as the story unfolds and few different ways you can play your part. Make you do good, or bad." 

"Huh." he nodded, it seemed as if the changes he'd felt in his last weeks of his life were making more and more sense. Although the thought of someone else actually being in control of his every movement and choice sent a strange chill skittering through him. 

"I tried to do the right thing, and do what I think you would have chosen, if you'd have been able to completely by yourself."

"Well, thanks, I guess....'though I still wound up dead."

"Yeah," she scoffed. "There was no way around that, but I tried like hell to avoid it." She still felt horrible about everything that had happened to him, wishing there could have been some way to change his fate. She wanted to try to elaborate further on how things were written in stone for him, beyond her control, when a strange concept popped into her head. "What was your last horse's name?" 

Arthur frowned at her for a moment, wondering if he should answer and what she would reveal with the information. "Artemis, why?"

She suddenly laughed out loud, quickly clamping her hand over her mouth as tears suddenly brimmed up her eyes. The furrow in Arthur's brow deepened at the sight, a cocktail of emotions swirling in his gentle aqua blue. His gaze silently urging her to explain herself and lead him out of the deeper confusion he felt at the sight of her reaction. 

"You're my Arthur." 

"Whut?" 

She shook her head softly, searching herself for the right words, unable to believe that she'd already spent so many hours with the man before her. "A player gets to name your horse, the one you got at the stable in Valentine?" He nodded, showing he was following. "I chose that name for her, Goddess of hunt, wildlife..." 

"Yeah, I know who Artemis is." Arthur confirmed, having spent many hours reading a wealth of different types of literature, especially the ancient myths that Dutch enjoyed the most. 

"Other people who play your game can choose different names and different breeds of horses, but you know your horse as the name I gave her, so....that means...you're my Arthur." 

He gave a soft huff of laughter, he didn't know what to make of that at all, but he kind of liked how it sounded. In the midst of everything, it seemed like he somehow belonged and it soothed his aching soul just a little. 

"I know this won't make any sense to you," Allie continued. "...and it probably feels worse than I can imagine to learn all this, but maybe I can show you the game? Maybe that'll make sense of all this for you?" 

He looked nervous but nodded in acceptance, and picked up his hat ready to start. "Alright." 

"Okay. Follow me." she offered, throwing back her drink nervously before getting up and leading him out of the kitchen, across the hallway and back into her study where her monitor was waiting in standby mode, ready for another game at a moment's notice. 

"Wow." Arthur gasped as he stepped into the room, looking around at all the memorabilia on the shelving units and the plush couch and bean bags gathered around a thin dark box up on its side on a glass fronted cabinet. "You sure have a lot of stuff." 

She snickered. "Yeah, I guess I do. Most people do in this time. We buy a lot of shit we don't really need." 

Arthur gave a huff of affirmation; not sure of what to make of what she said or all the weird looking stuff she owned. All the walls were dotted with big, colourful pictures, labelled with some title or another. Her shelves were lined with little models of creatures and people, some like miniature replicas of actual folk, and others with tiny bodies, odd big round heads and circular black eyes. 

There were unusual stuffed animals too still in their packaging, decorative candles and various other trinkets that he couldn't place a use for. So many things stacked among rows of various -regular looking- books and then a row of a strange shorter kind, that reflected the light oddly. All the same size with the same blue band printed round the top like a set of small and thin encyclopaedias. Labelled strange names that rang no bells like "Grand Theft Auto V", "Witcher III: Wild Hunt" and "Horizon: Zero Dawn". 

None of it made a lick of sense, and he focusing away from the wonders on display. Choosing instead to watch on as she pulled out a chair for him and put it next to the big leather one in front of a large desk that held two other, slightly smaller, thin dark boxes on it. "Take a seat, and I'll try to explain but...." 

He nodded, she didn't need to say anything else, he was simply willing to accept any ray of light she could shine on the wild situation he'd found himself in, no matter how small the beam. If he could get a handle on who he was in that reality, he hoped figuring out the rest would come easy. 

Together they sat down and she fired up the console, picking up the controller to give him a crash course in video-gaming. "This is how a player controls you...or....your likeness on the screen here." she pointed to the monitor, that had lit up blue, and bit down on the urge to smile at the bemused look on Arthur's face. "The story I've gotten to see starts just after Blackwater, when you were in the storm on the mountains." 

"Nothin' 'fore that?"

"No." Allie shook her head. "I mean, bits and pieces are revealed about what happened on the ferry and what your life was like before the story shown in the game..."

A look of recollection passed over his face suddenly. "D'you know what happened to my friends...my family? John and Abigail? Jack?"

Allie nodded and gave a warm smile, but her heart hurt. She couldn't tell him about John's ultimate fate, not when she knew how much he'd sacrificed to save his brother and ensure he had a long happy life with his family. 

"They're ok. Everyone's ok." 

"Really?" his eyes lit up in a way that made her want to smile widely. 

"Yeah. After you...." she hesitated, not wanting to say such a cold word as 'died', when he was right in front of her warm and alive. To her relief Arthur nodded, silently showing his was following again without forcing her to mention the finer details of his situation. "....John got a job on a ranch, learned how to look after a farm and eventually he caught up with Uncle and Charles and he bought some land and they built a big house together."

He cast his eyes to the right, thinking hard for a moment as he reeled in the recollection that lingered just on the edge of his mind, like he was searching for a word he couldn't properly recall. "You know....somehow....I can see that in my mind...." he started nodding as the image became clearer in his head. "Yeah! I remember it I don't know how...but...I think I saw it...ain't like I could forget Marston doin' some Goddamn work for once." 

Allie sniggered, biting on her lip to stop herself getting too carried away. "Good, because your sacrifice made them real happy." Arthur dipped his head, in shyness or relief she couldn't be sure but the way he fiddled almost nervously with the rope around his hat warmed her heart. "....And Sadie made it out okay too," she continued. "....She's out being a bounty hunter and general bad ass." Arthur chuckled softly as he looked up, thinking how that made perfect sense. "Charles is doing good, he went out to find a wife and start a family of his own." Arthur's eyes sparkling with delight at the news. "Mary-Beth, she writes books like she always wanted."

"Really?"

Allie nodded enthusiastically, loving the brightness of hope that lit up his face. "Tilly met a nice man and got married and had a baby. She lives in Saint Denis."

"No way?"

"Pearson works in the general store in Rhodes, I think he might own it actually." Arthur laughed softly, unable to believe it. "Everyone made it because of you, Arthur. You're a hero."

"Well..." he dipped his head feeling awkward. "I dunno 'bout that." Taking a moment he looked in on himself, considering all he'd suffered, knowing without question that it was all worth it to learn everyone he'd cared for made it and got the happiness he could never grasp himself. "But I'm real glad everyone made it out okay." 

"Me too, you saved a lot of people." Allie smiled warmly, and Arthur glanced up holding her eyes for a moment before looking away again, nervously. It was easy for her to sense he was uncomfortable in being confronted with his good deeds, so she gave him an out. "You still want me to show you how I know all this?" 

"Sure."

Her heart fluttered in her chest, the familiar sound of his voice right next to her felt amazing. Despite her best efforts to remain grounded, she was rapidly warming to the idea that if she was in fact trapped in some kind of dream, then it was the best one she'd ever had. 

"Alright," she concentrated on the console, continuing to do her best to avoid acknowledging how the sound of his voice made her skin tingle, and how her eyes wanted so badly to stare at the sheer girth of his forearms and breadth of his thick, solid, shoulders. 

There was no sign of the illness that had ravaged him; he was back to his perfect weight. Strong, and build like an oak. Handsome as ever with a dusting of stubble and those feathery strands of hair at play around his temples. 

With him close, she could still smell the rain on him, but beneath that there was a hint of cigarette smoke and something that reminded her of summers outdoors, playing in the grass and dusty earth. For a moment she felt as if she could fall right into him and never want to crawl out but she snapped herself out of it, knowing there was no room for that nonsense - her Arthur, or not. He didn't know her from a hole in the ground. 

"So you use this thing here..." she said abruptly, forcing herself to focus and show him the controller. "...To move around and make choices and things with these buttons....I can show you how to play properly if you want, but I don't know how weird that will be for you?"

"Right now, I don't think this could get any weirder." he chuckled. 

"Me either." she held his eyes for a moment, exchanging a smile that was from the heart, each offering the other a little comfort amid the confusion, but Allie was first to break their eye lock. Focusing hard on not melting into him, she looked back to the monitor. She was much too afraid of looking at him too closely and actually believing in him being there besides her, fearing he might disappear if she stared too long or wanted him too badly. 

"Okay," she called out, getting down to business. "So I'll load up an old save so you can see exactly what I mean, we can go back to the start of the whole game later, if you want to...it might just make a bit more sense to show you the heart of it all."

"Whatever you think is best." 

He watched closely as she set about selecting a few options by pressing a few buttons on the controller, making the screen change a few times until loading music filled the room and Arthur's eyes found themselves fixated on the moving images. Nostalgic old images of the west, places he recalled, most that he didn't, but the vision of them all gave his mind a moment to his mind rest and ready itself until the images faded into a new scene, sounds fading into bird song, all merging together to show onscreen-Arthur snoozing against a rock in the afternoon sun. 

"I'll be Goddamned!" he gasped, leaning closer to the monitor and pointing. "That's me!" 

"I told you!"

"How in the hell?...I....I didn't ever see you there?" 

Allie stifled a smile, his naivety was adorable as he was handsome. "You wouldn't have. I don't know how to explain how you got from there, to here or how I was able to be a part of your story back then if you're really here now....." 

"This is too damn weird." 

"I know." she tensed, hoping she wasn't causing him any more distress than absolutely necessary. Feeling a little reluctant to want to proceed, she put her attention back to the screen and hoped she would start to wake up from this craziness before her emotions were shaken up anymore. 

Carefully she moved the stick and got onscreen-Arthur to wake and stand up, while real-Arthur's eyes widened in awe as he watched his likeness move across the screen, heading deeper into camp where everyone was going about their daily business in Horseshoe Overlook. 

"Oh my God!" he gasped, reaching out his hand to touch the screen. "What the hell? _How?_ "

"I don't know." she shook her head, wishing she knew how to explain the way he could have been part of the game while still being besides her in the flesh. "This is all I can tell you....this game...it follows you for the last few months of your life and the people who play you get to control your actions. Do you want to try?"

Arthur recoiled, looking at her oddly as he sized up his options. "I dunno. It's weird."

"Yeah, but it's not hard. It's just like those little boats on the lake outside Saint Denis."

"You know 'bout them too?"

"Yeah, and the robot."

"Jesus Christ." 

Smiling, she passed him the remote, he placed his hat on the desk and took what she offered sheepishly. "You use this stick here to walk around, and that stick to look where you're going...it takes a bit to get used to controlling both at once." 

With an expression of intense concentration on his face, he carried out her instructions, looking at the controller for a moment or two, to make sure he was doing it right before looking up at the screen. "Oh hey! Look a'that!" he beamed, making his avatar walk forward towards Pearson's pot and the cluster of camp chickens. "There's Kieran!" he cried excitedly. "And Sean!...Why's it...look, ya know...strange...not like you n'me?" "Because it's an animation. It's like not like looking in a window, it's more like....looking at a kind of picture book I guess..." Allie was at a loss for how to explain it and the confusion on his face made her afraid to go any deeper into the complexities of it all. "This is..." his expression darkened and he stopped moving his avatar around and placed the controller down, sitting back to take a deep, steadying, breath. "Oh my head is spinnin'..." he trailed off, having no words to describe what he was feeling accurately. 

"I can imagine." she said softly. "I can show you how to play properly later, if you like. I know this is a lot to take in right now. But this is what I mean by a video-game...I followed you like this, helped you fight and survive what you could. You weren't alone through all that, and you weren't alone at the end."

The corners of Arthur's mouth curved sadly as his eyes twinkled with a strange emotion that felt both happy and sad. Lingering in his own thoughts for a moment or two, before giving a sigh that sounded strangely content, despite the confusion etched on his face. "I don't think I can get my head 'round this."

"I know...I'm sorry....I wish I knew how to help make sense of this all." 

"You think I could get back there....to this point in my life?" He now knew where everything went wrong and he was suddenly filled with confidence that he could make it right if he could just get back to the start again. 

"I don't know how...and if you could...I'm not sure things could be changed." He frowned at her again, silently asking for elaboration. "When I finished your story the first time, I went back to the start to play it again, to see if there was a way to change your fate, to save you..." Their eyes held on one another for a moment, Arthur hoping she could sense his gratitude for her attempting to help him beat his downfall. "....At a certain point, the game forces you to go and claim the debt from Thomas Downes." Allie continued woefully. "There's no escaping it."

"Oh," he said his eyes losing focus on her for a moment before suddenly brightening again with hope. "Well, I could maybe stop Micah?"

"I don't know." Allie whispered. "I tried killing him a dozen times, but the game won't let him die." They both sighed together, holding another easy silence before Allie found more words. "Honestly, Arthur. I tried everything to get a different ending, but there's only one." 

He looked deflated but nodded. "I understand."

A silence fell over them again, as they both turned back to look at the monitor, just sitting there for a while, watching the camp going about their business. Swanson appeared, telling Arthur how he'd failed again, before wandering off. A conversation or two could be overheard as people moved around, living and breathing in a virtual world. 

Arthur's face cycled through a dozen different emotions as the sight, each and every one poking Allie right in the heart. She knew the game had been praised for its realism and depth but it was impossible to believe that could be translated into reality in such a way as she was currently facing. 

There was no known way to manifest a human being of any kind, especially one that never really existed. No science in the world could make someone travel through time and space or different dimensions, alternative realities and the like either. The whole situation had to be nothing but a dream, anything else just simply wasn't possible. Oddly, she took some comfort in that, thinking how terribly painful and confusing it would be for him if their situation was in fact a legitimate reality. 

Arthur's head was in a million places at once. Unable to catch a solid thought amongst the tide of confusion and curiosity. Try as he did, he couldn't wrap his head around being there in that time which he knew nothing of, while also being inside a box that reflected the only life he'd ever known. Nothing made sense, and he felt lightheaded from the mental exertion needed to get the slightest grip on things. It was much too much. Things felt like they were caving in, just as they had when the doctor told him his fate but unlike the moment his life had been given an expiry date, he felt no sense of hopelessness. In fact, buried deep inside -under all the uncertainty- he felt oddly hopeful. 

"You must be tired," Allie suggested, noting the faded look in his eyes. 

"I don't know what I am right now." 

"I know, and I'm sorry. I wish I knew how you got here and how I could go about sending you back there."

Arthur turned to look at her, holding her eyes for a moment before speaking. "I think there ain't nothin' to go back there for, Miss. I mean, if you think things can't be changed then...I don't wanna live through all that again...and I don't wanna be a dead man neither, I know that much. But..." he sighed. "...I dunno what I'm 'sposed to do here, in this time..."

"Me either. Maybe things will be a bit clearer in the morning?" She felt a weird frantic energy humming inside her, but she so wanted nothing more than to go to sleep. She couldn't stand seeing the pain in his eyes any longer and something inside her said that maybe if she went to bed, she'd wake up and everything would be back to normal. He'd be where he was supposed to be and at peace again. With none of the confusion and distress she was causing him weighing on his mind. 

"I hope so." Arthur relented and they looked at each other for a beat, each so baffled and at a loss for what to do for the best, when a thought crossed out of the disorder in his mind and he gave a faint laugh. "So, er... you know damn near everythin' 'bout me it seems, but I don't know nothin' 'bout you. Not even ya name?" 

"Jesus. I'm sorry." she gasped. "With everything that's happened I..."

"It's alright." he assured. 

"My name's Allie. Allie Devereaux." 

He gave a nod. "That short for Alison?"

She shook her head. "No, Allegra."

Arthur raised his eyebrows. "I ain't never heard that name before...It's real pretty." 

She suddenly felt shy, as her cheeks warmed. "Thanks." The way his eyes lingered on her made her skin prickle with electricity, making it harder to focus on being pragmatic about the situation. 

"So, this your house?"

"Well," she began. "This is where I live...but my aunt owns this place, but she's always off travelling to strange places, so she lets me and my cousin live here for the price of utilities. Which is great 'cause it's real hard to get on the housing ladder these days." Allie knew she was rambling but couldn't stop herself, he was looking at her so intensely -so expectant of information- she couldn't keep her words in. "I love it out here, my dogs do too. They're called Ralph and Rocco....and I've got a cat too, probably still asleep upstairs, he's called Freddie Purrcury." 

Arthur frowned again, and tilted his head a little, the way she held on the name was odd. "I feel like that's supposed to mean something to me?"

Allie laughed dismissively. "No, it won't. I'm sorry. It's stupid, I'll explain another time." She dipped her head, clearly nervous in talking about herself, but it endeared her to him. She seemed like a kind person, a brave one too. Sitting next to a known outlaw, a bad man such as he, and welcoming him into her home with only as little panic as she'd initially shown. 

"So how old are you?" he asked. It was hard to tell she looked young, no lines on her face at all but something about her personality and the emotion behind her eyes seemed older somehow. Making him wonder if perhaps she'd seen more than her fair share of troubles too. 

"Twenty-eight." 

"You have a husband?" he asked instinctively, most women were married off with a slew of kids in tow by that age where he came from. "I'm sorry, that's rude." 

"No it's okay." she soothed. "No, I don't. Not many people get married young in this day and age. Lots of people never get married at all and others just live in sin." 

"That sounds like more fun." he joked. 

She gave a soft chuckle. "Right?" Their eyes held on one another for a beat or two, enjoying the sight of the genuine smiles they each wore. 

"So how d'you pay for all this stuff?" he continued. "Women don't have many job opportunities where I come from."

She hesitated, weighing up if she should tell him about her original career path - the one she was trying so hard to forget, but she quickly decided against it. The chances were he would have run a mile at the truth of her past too, and she didn't want that. She guessed if there was any truth and reality to their situation, it was a good opportunity for a clean slate for them both. 

"I'm a writer...well...trying to be." The look on Arthur's face urged her to continue. "I've only been doing it a little while, professionally at least...I write articles for online publications, newspapers, magazines, blogs...most of them are boring, like reviews of products and public interest pieces, stuff about social media trends, it's all-" she stopped short. The look on Arthur's face said he was completely bamboozled again. "I'm sorry, there's so much information going into your head right now." 

"It's okay, I guess I gotta learn what this world is all about." he suggested, and she couldn't argue. "So there's good money in writin' these days, huh?"

"Not really, but it's enough to do alright. And I mean it's kinda boring at times but...it's safe." she hoped that didn't sound as loaded as she felt it did. "But I shouldn't complain about it," she quickly added hoping to divert his attention for acknowledging her comment. "...It could be worse, although the modern world is a pretty easy place to live in, and mostly full of problems which ain't really problems, at least not compared to surviving like you're used to."

"Well, I guess maybe I'm gonna find that out." 

"Guess so." she gave him a soft smile. "Anyway, are you hungry? You want something to eat or another drink or anything?" She'd obsessed over feeding him in the game it seemed only right to do the same now he was there, in front of her, large as life. 

"No, I'm good." he assured. "I mean, I feel strange as hell, but I'm also feelin' better than I have in a long time too..." His words gave Allie a strange sense of relief. "....but I sure am tired now."

"Me too. There's a spare room upstairs you can stay in, if you want to?"

"Sure. If you don't mind?"

"Of course not. You're welcome to stay." 

Arthur knew he had no other options, but the truth was he felt like he wouldn't choose a different one even if it was presented to him. For unknown reasons he felt safe there with her, and there was something about the young woman that already made him feel cared for and understood too, in a way he couldn't recall feeling before. "Well in that case, thank ya!" 

With their plan agreed on, she turned off the console and lead Arthur back out of her office and into the hallway. There she whistled the dogs, who rushed out of the kitchen and dashed up to Allie's bedroom, leaving her to lead a nervous looking Arthur up the stairs. 

Once she reached the landing she flicked on the light and pointed out the rooms to him. "Bathroom..." she gestured to the furthest most door, but didn't realize he probably had no idea how anything in there worked. "That's my cousin's room," she pointed to a close door adjacent to the bathroom's. "But he won't be back until the mornin'..." a strange sense came over her, a deeply buried instinct that said she shouldn't tell strange men she was home alone, but he wasn't a strange man. She knew him, intimately almost, and she had no doubt that he would be a gentleman in the face of any kind of temptation. "....He's cool though, so you don't need to worry about him."

"Cool?" Arthur queried. He'd used the word before many times, but never in the same context. 

"You know, like....Okay? Alright? Decent? _Cool!_ "

"Alright." he nodded, and she chuckled softly. 

"That's my aunt's room...." she pointed to another closed door with a strange looking decorative mask hanging on it. "This is the box room that's just basically a wardrobe right now," she kicked a stray shoe back inside and shut the door firmly, not wanting him to see the mess inside that she and her cousin frequently added to. "...And that's mine." she pointed out the only door along the far wall as they turned at towards it. "...and this is the spare room...." She popped open the door almost directly opposite her own and flicked on the light, before gesturing for him to head on inside to the nicely decorated double bedroom. It was complete with a plush twin bed, side tables and lamps, and a closet and dresser with a mirror over at the far end. A nice big window to let in the morning sun and give him a safe view of the new world waiting outside. "I hope this'll be alright?"

"It's real nice. Everythin's so...."

"Clean?" 

Arthur gave a scoff of laughter. "Yeah. Clean, and bright." 

"The modern world is obsessed with hygiene." 

"No kiddin'!" 

"Make yourself at home. There are some extra blankets and pillows in the closet if you want them. I'll be right back." With that Allie left him to take in his new surroundings and hurried back down the hallway to the bathroom to get a glass and fill it with water before hurrying back to him. Even if he was some kind of mirage, she wanted to make sure he felt as comfortable as could be. She certainly didn't want him waking with a headache after a few shots of whiskey. 

"Here...in case you get thirsty."

"Thank ya, miss." he nodded politely and took the glass from her, taking a sip. 

"Please call me Allie." 

"Alright. Thanks, Allie." 

She gave him a shy smile, enjoying the way her name sounded on his lips. "Anyway, I'll let you get some rest. Let me know if you need anything, I'm just across the hall." she reminded and Arthur nodded, sitting down on the bed and giving a little bounce. "Oh!" she recalled. "There's a switch on that wire right there to turn the lamp on and off." 

Arthur reached out and found what she said, flicking the switch and his mouth falling open to find the light instantly coming to life. "Well, would ya look at that." 

"We've got all the mod-cons here." she joked and Arthur chuckled. 

"Dontchya just!" 

They looked at each other again for a moment, the comfortable silence that was becoming familiar, falling over them again. Each sizing the other up a little, pondering so many different questions that they weren't sure they'd ever get answers for. 

"You need anything else?" Allie asked, breaking the silence, having begun to feel a little awkward. 

"No, I'm good."

"Alright....well....Goodnight Arthur. I hope you sleep well." 

"Thank you, mis-" he stopped sort, correcting himself. " _Allie._ " he gave a gentle nod. "G'night." 

With that she left him with a warm smile and moved to the door. Turning out the main light, looking back at him one more time before closing the door to behind her. 

Alone for the first time in over an hour, she finally had a chance to catch her breath but decided against it and hurried on to her own room instead, stepping over the silver tabby cat who gave a cursory nod her way before wandering off downstairs. Allie sighed to herself and stepped into her room, the dogs were already settled in, having kicked the cat off the prime real estate of the double bed.

She shut the door behind her and leant back against it, taking a few moments to steady her breathing and the adrenaline pumping through her body. "Holy shit. This can't be real!" she dismissed in a whisper, rubbing a hand over her face to wring out the last few drops of energy she had left. 

Instinctively she headed towards her en-suite bathroom, beginning to remove her t-shirt, but she stopped herself. She couldn't be sure what would happen in the night and getting into the shower -as she usually would- seemed a like a potentially risky endeavour. Instead, she kept her clothes on and climbed into her bed, tugging some of the blankets out from under the two dogs. Settling for only a moment before she pulled a pillow over her face and groaned into it. 

Her brain kicked into overdrive in the silence of her bedroom, thinking about him being only a matter of feet away from her. She was too tired to do much beyond hope when the morning came either he was back where he was meant to be, or that she'd get a solid clue about what the hell was going on. 

She closed her eyes tightly and willed sleep to come for her. Her thoughts spinning out of control as she tried to relax her breathing and invite unconsciousness in. _'What if this is really real? What the hell am I going to do? How do I look after a cowboy from the nineteenth century? Will he even want to stay here? How's he going to manage in the world when he doesn't technically exist?...Oh god! How can I be afraid this is real and afraid to find out it's a dream at the same time? This is so ridiculous. Completely and utterly ridiculous! But God, he's so handsome and he smells good and he's polite and sweet and....ugh! He's a real person now, someone I've been objectifying and controlling is real? Oh man!'_ she sighed heavily, rolling onto her stomach to bury her head completely under the pillows. Hoping sleep would come quick and bring a new day and the clarity she needed to figure out what in the hell was happening in her life and that of the handsome outlaw sleeping in her guest room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading guys, as always I'd love to hear any thoughts/feelings or suggestions. Hope you enjoyed! :)


	5. Better In The Morning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Thank you all so much for the kudos and comments on the last chapter, it means the world to know you're enjoying this so far! :)

When Allie woke up everything felt completely normal. That blissful moment or two when nothing really existed, just the soft morning light and the promise of a new day. Then just like that, she remembered. Sitting bolt upright in bed her memories erupted, images of Arthur in her home, dancing across her eyes as clear as any recollection she'd ever had. 

Unnerved, she froze in place, listening to the house for a sign of the unfamiliar, but all seemed to be at peace. Nothing felt unusual or out of place as she expected it would have, if of course, a formerly-virtual cowboy was still lurking her house. 

Feeling oddly relieved by the balanced equilibrium around her, she looked down at herself and realized she was still in her t-shirt and yoga pants from the night before, but despite so many fresh images in her mind she couldn't recall putting herself to bed at all. She guessed she'd drank too much wine while completing her second Red Dead playthrough, the emotion of that and the cheese pizza she'd wolfed down had obviously been responsible for the vivid dream she'd had about him. 

She gave a huff of hollow laughter, comforted to find she appeared to be free of the mess she thought she'd made for both of them, although a little knot of disappointed sat in the pit of her stomach. She told herself it was just because the dream didn't end in even a hint of romance, that she was pleased to be back to reality and that she didn't already miss the sensation she'd felt from just having him around. 

On a heavy sigh, she stretched wearily and shuffled to the edge of her bed, eyes going to her clock as her feet touched the floor and began to massage the rug beneath them. It was after eight, far too early to want to be up but there were things she needed to do. Take a nice red hot shower, was top of the list. Then she needed to round up the dogs and let them out to pee, get them all some breakfast and then get on the phone to tell her best friend about the crazy dream she'd had. 

She began to slip out of the t-shirt she'd slept in when she heard the toilet flush distantly. She thought nothing of it at first, assuming her cousin was home from the night shift and getting ready to hit the hay himself, but it flushed again, and then again and again. 

Her widened eyes shot across the room, locating her silver tabby cat asleep on her window seat in a patch of glorious morning sun. The last time she'd heard the toilet being flushed so many times in a row Freddie had been obsessing about how the light was hitting the chrome button on the cistern, and kept attacking it repeatedly. 

She groaned to herself; if her cat was there then it could only mean that Henry had blocked the damn toilet. Annoyed, she pulled her t-shirt back on and stood up, guessing she'd be spending her morning with the water turned off and waiting for a plumber to come before she got a shot at the shower she craved. 

"Use the plunger!" she cried, bursting out of her bedroom onto the landing, marching round to the bathroom ready to rant at her older cousin for abusing the facilities. Her eyes locked on the bathroom door instantly, and surprise stopped her a few feet away. She'd expected to find it closed, however to her fright -and delight- she instead saw Arthur Morgan. 

She froze to the spot, shocked by the very sight. Her assumption of everything having been a dream laid shattered at her bare feet. He was standing besides the toilet, large as life, pressing the flusher button and just watching the water rise and recede like it was the most incredible thing he'd ever seen. 

He was dressed just the same as when she'd left him the night before, boots and neckerchief on, with his suspenders loose at the side of his thighs and his hat in his free hand. 

"This is amazin'!" he called out with a quick glance her way, completely at ease in the moment. "An' water comes out so easy, an' it's so clean. Can I drink this?" he pointed to the toilet as he looked to Allie. 

"Ew! No!" she cried, rushing down the hall towards the bathroom, ready to swat him away but stopping short just shy of the door. "Well, technically in a pinch you could but the clean drinking stuff comes out the faucet there." she took a few steps forward and entered the bathroom, pointing to the sink. Nodding at him encouragingly to try it out for himself. 

Arthur hadn't even thought to try the shiny silver arrangement over the sink, he'd been captivated by how modern John's worked, but he set to it straight away. Turning them on and off, chuckling to himself as the water came gushing out with little or no effort whatsoever, fresh as a natural spring. He could turn the damn things on with one finger too if he tried. No pumping, boiling or waiting required. Fresh, clean water in a second. "Amazin'!" 

"There's the shower too," Allie said, gesturing to the cubical in the far end of the large bathroom, next to a deep, spa bath. "You don't have to heat the water and fill the tub anymore, it comes out hot." she said. "You can try it later, if you want? I can get you some clean clothes and-" she stopped short, shocked at how naturally she was accepting the man's presence in her home. 

A wave of dizziness washed through her as her brain caught up to her mouth. Scrambling to make sense of all that was going on around her. How could he be real and standing there before her? She had to be losing her mind, there was no other explanation for it. 

Trouble by what his continued presence meant for her sanity, she bit her lip. There wasn't much she could do to figure out what was going on her head, sleeping clearly hadn't helped, but she hoped maybe some food would fix things, or at least clear the strange haze that was misting up her brain. 

"You hungry? Want some breakfast?"

"I'm starvin'!" Arthur nodded eagerly, popping his hat on his head and pulling up his suspenders ready to attack the day. 

"Alright, c'mon then." she nodded towards the stairs and made a start down to where the dogs were already waiting and prancing around with excitement. 

Arthur followed behind, dodging the little cat that came rushing out of Allie's room and down the stairs in front of him. He was oddly feeling well rested, the bed he'd slept on was by far and away the most comfortable he'd ever been in. Even with his ability to sleep on a clothes line, the perfect mix of soft and firm beneath his weary body had him feeling like he was laying on a cloud and he was asleep in seconds. Leaving him not a moment to ponder exactly what was happening to him. 

He'd woken from a deep, restorative sleep in the warmth of the sun, uncertain of the exact time and afraid to move around too much, or step outside of the room for wondering about the etiquette of the modern world. Instead he lay on his back, looking up at the shadows of branches playing on the ceiling, trying to put everything that had happened to him into some kind of coherent order. 

He couldn't understand how it was possible to feel just as real lying there, in his strange new reality, as he had throughout the only life he'd ever known. His head felt strange whenever he considered how all that he'd been through in the past months had been witnessed and controlled by a stranger. There was an empty ache in his gut to consider how all he'd known didn't truly exist, how every face he'd ever seen belonged to a person who wasn't truly real. It was too much to get a handle on and he felt like his mind wouldn't bend acutely enough to push all the broken pieces into place. 

It made no sense that he could be there, a hundred and twenty years into a future that didn't seem to be a future version of the world he'd known. It made even less sense that his former life was still playing out on some weird machine while he lived on in another alternative world. He had no idea how he could be living life as some kind of puppet on one level, while seemingly living free on another. 

The concept made him ponder if he was free there at all, perhaps it was all just another layer of reality that wasn't reality at all. Everything he'd been through the past months and his entire life felt real, and full, true as could be, yet all that'd he'd taken for granted had been cast into doubt. His friendships, his experiences, good and bad, everything that had made him who he was and kept him grounded seemed to be adrift. 

He was so confused, but he knew only two things for sure - being there was a million times better than being dead, and there was no use in worrying about things he didn't know how to change. Hosea had taught him that time and time again, his mother too. 

He'd thought of her a lot that morning, remembering her face and her kindness. The love he missed so desperately throughout his thirty-six years. The words she'd speak whenever he was troubled as a boy, singing so clearly in his head so many years after he'd last heard her voice. _'Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?_ He couldn't remember who in the bible had said the quote she loved so much, but it had stuck with him, although he wasn't sure anyone in biblical times had ever considered having their entire reality shattered in an instant. 

A part of him had truly hoped at some point he'd wake up and find it was all some wildly vivid whiskey induced dream, that he'd go tell Hosea about. They'd laugh, try to make sense of it. Maybe Dutch would over hear and go off on one of his rants about how the modern world would be a disaster for everyone involved. Then, just like that, everything would be back to how it was before it all unravelled.

It was hurting his head trying to make sense of how much he'd lost and what'd he'd gained too. Hell, his head hurt all the worse when he plucked up the courage to leave the bedroom and explore his environment as much as he dared. From the way electricity flowed through everything, to how the house was so bright and clean and sparkly, it all made him dizzy. It felt like there was so much going on all at once when nothing was going on at all; dozens of things demanding his attention simultaneously. It was going to take him a hundred years to get used to being in that world and learning about everything in it, if he had that kind of time of course. 

Allie was blissfully unaware of Arthur's bewilderment as she lead him downstairs and back into the kitchen. Gesturing for him to sit down at the table while she set to work following her usual morning routine. Uncertain of himself or what else he should be doing, Arthur did as he was told, took off his satchel and sat, choosing the same chair as the night before. One that allowed him to see what she was doing in the kitchen area, while also being able to look out at the big backyard through the patio doors, which she opened up to let the animals outside.

"Alright, I ain't much of a cook but..." she warned, heading to the kitchen to begin gathering utensils and cookware. "How hungry are you? 'Cause I could eat a scabby horse and a leg off the jockey." 

Arthur gave a scoff of laughter, she was amusing and he liked it. "I'll eat whatever you make."

"Alright then, you're asking for trouble, mister." she teased warmly, sharing a smile with him as she set about turning on the stove and heating up a pan for some scrambled eggs. "You wanna try some cereal first? I don't think they had that in your time."

"Sure." he agreed, having no idea what was a suitable breakfast in modern times, but feeling strangely willing to give anything a go. 

Feeling confident in having a task to work on, Allie moved back to the counter reached up to the cupboards above, grabbing out what cereal she had in. Her stretch caused her t-shirt to rise up a little and draw attention to her pert ass while exposing a small strip of lightly tanned skin across her lower back. 

Arthur felt himself flush warm at the sight, and turned his eyes away. He hadn't paid much mind to her clothes before, as form fitting as they were weren't revealing, yet couldn't remember ever seeing a woman's lower back like that in daylight before. Women were always so covered up in his time, butts bundled up under skirts and maybe a hint of cleavage if you were lucky. Looking on at her exposed skin and alluring curves made him feel awkward, and other things he didn't care to name. 

"We got Lucky Charms or Cheerios." she announced taking back his attention and shooing off his discomfort before it could take root. "They're both good but one is like a grown up, healthy cereal and the other is just sugary crap but tastes amazing." she held up the boxes for him to see and the confusion on his face said it all. "You can try both, see which you like." she tucked the boxes under her arms, grabbed a bottle of milk from the fridge and juggled it all over to the table in front of him. "You just pour some into a bowl and pour the milk on and eat it. It's simple and quick."

"Alright." he nodded, watching as she rushed back to the kitchen and then bought over two bowls and a couple of spoons and placed them down in front of him before heading back to the shiny black surface which he guessed was a modern stove, based on the pan waiting there. 

Cautiously, he picked up the packs and began reading them, cartoon pictures and smiling kids looking back at him clear as day. "Things have come a long way, huh?"

"They sure have." Allie said cheerfully, as the dogs ran back inside and began singing about getting their own breakfast. "Alright, alright!" she cried, attracting Arthur's attention again. He watched as she tried to navigate her way through the overexcited mutts and the small cat weaving in and out of her ankles all the way across the kitchen until she disappeared into the room she'd gone into the night before. Coming back out a moment or two later with two clear containers full of brown stuff, one box smaller than the other. 

He frowned, curious about what she was doing as put the boxes on the counter and scooped out a few helpings of dog crunchies into each bowl at the far side of the kitchen and then set about replacing the biscuits the cat had decided were no longer worthy of his attentions. "Eat up!" she told them all, but they didn't need telling. 

Arthur smiled to himself, he loved animals himself and he did enjoy it when he found someone who cared about them too. Most people in his time had seen them as tools for various jobs, or little more than food, but he'd always been fascinated by creatures, even as a boy. 

He thought to his own dog, Copper and considered for a moment how much had changed in terms of pet care. He'd survived on scraps from the chuck wagon, or a small portion of stew each day. Yet Allie's dogs and cat seemed to be eating their own food entirely, and wolfing it down. He wanted to ask questions but he guessed on the list of things that he needed to know, the complexities of modern pet food wasn't one of them. 

He looked back at the cereal boxes and frowned deeper. He'd never seen any food so colourful in his life as the stuff on the picture with the odd looking cartoon feller. He guess colour was never a bad thing and shrugged acceptingly, before carefully opening the box and pouring out some of the contents into a bowl. 

His eyes widening as creamy colour cereal was joined by brightly coloured pieces of what looked a little like candy. He put the box down and picked up a piece shaped like a rainbow. Squeezing it and then smelling it, turning it this way and that as he examined it, wondering how the hell they ever made such a thing. 

Suddenly he was aware of her eyes on him and he looked back over to the kitchen area, Allie was smirking and he felt like he was missing a joke. "It's nice, I promise. Tip some milk on and eat up." 

Arthur pulled an uncertain face, but did as told. Trusting the strange woman knew what she was talking about and had his best interests at heart, he did as instructed and shovelled a spoonful into his mouth. As soon as his taste buds caught the first wave his eyes widened. He'd never tasted anything like it, the tingling on his tongue, the sweetness, the explosion of excitement in his mouth. 

"Good, huh?" she grinned at him, amused by the stunned look on his face. He nodded and eagerly shovelled in another mouthful before he'd swallowed the first. Content that he was happy, Allie turned back to the stove and gave the eggs the attention they needed. Reaching over to turn the coffee maker on while Arthur munched happily along with the dogs. 

She shook her head softly, almost laughing to herself about the situation she was in. It was ridiculous, absolute madness, to be so at ease in the situation they were in, but she'd strangely not felt so content in a long time. 

Within a few minutes the hot food was ready and Allie plated up the eggs and some hot toast, bringing two plates to the table, putting it down in front of Arthur who was about to go in for a third bowl of kiddie cereal. "You want some coffee?"

"You have that here?" 

She laughed, as she headed back to the kitchen area. "Of course, it's a hundred billion dollar industry these days."

"Coffee? As in the bitter black stuff."

"Oh my God, it's going to take me a week just to teach you about all the different types there are now. I bet you've never even had cream or sugar in it, right?" Arthur shook his head, feeling completely clueless and oddly vulnerable. "Oh you're in for a treat." she smiled and set about making him a cup. 

Arthur began working on the eggs in front of him, something familiar that tasted good and felt better going into his stomach. He smiled to himself, thinking that despite not really knowing where the hell he was, how he got there, or how long he'd be staying, at least he'd landed with someone nice. Someone who seemed to enjoy taking care of him, in a way he couldn't recall being taken care of before. 

Allie placed a cup of white coffee in front of him and sat down with her own. "You want anything else, salt, ketchup or-" she stopped short, realizing how silly it was to offer him something he'd never heard of. 

"Ketchup?"

"It's like a sauce, made from tomatoes...people like to put it on pretty much everything." 

"Tahmatas?" he queried. "On everything?" she nodded and he blew out a huff of disbelief. "Guess I got a lot to learn." 

"You do." she nodded. "But we'll get there." 

Arthur liked the sound of that. Allie got up again and headed back to the kitchen, bringing over the sauce just in case he wanted to try it, then she sat down and made a start on eating. Struggling against the urge to smile at the way Arthur inhaled what was on his plate, as if he hadn't eaten in weeks. Washing it all down with a slurp of creamy sweet coffee which lit his eyes up with enjoyment. 

They sat together in silence for a few minutes, each in their own head. Reflecting on what had happened, what was happening and their next steps, as they enjoyed the hot food and drink, the comforting fullness that eased them into the morning and the new challenges ahead. 

"D'you think I'm....I'm stuck here?" Arthur asked out; the startled look on Allie's face made him back peddle. "I don't mean to sound rude but..."

"It's okay, I understand." she gave him a half smile, reassuringly. "Honestly, I don't know. I don't know how you got here, I have no idea how to send you back into the game and if I did....considering how things ended..."

"Yeah, a'course." He looked back on his last few weeks and it was clear that there was nothing left behind there for him. "I don't know this place but I know it was over for me where I was, and now I...I feel like maybe I got a second chance here? How that'll work I dunno, but I there's gotta be a point to this, right?

Allie smiled at him softly, admiring his innate positivity. "You deserve a second chance, Arthur. Much more than most." He gave her a nervous smile, and shovelled the last bite of food in. "I don't know how we start figuring all this out though, the modern world is so complicated. You can't just appear and join society without questions," Arthur looked worried and it hurt her. "But we'll do it, even if it takes time, I know people who might be able to help us." 

"Will they know me too? From the game, I mean?"

"Possibly, but we'll bullshit our way out of that." 

Arthur chuckled, he'd only known her a matter of hours but he liked her. She seemed like a confident person without any of the cockiness that usually came with it, and there was no doubt she wanted to help him out. 

"Alright, miss." he confirmed, but she cocked her eyebrow at him, a look that made him quiver in his loins. _"Allie."_ he corrected with a gulp, and her expression turned into that gentle smile of hers. 

Before either could speak again the dogs began barking and made a rush out of the kitchen into the hallway. Allie looked at the clock on the wall and winced. "Shit! That'll be my cousin." Arthur looked panicked. "He's a good person, so don't worry." Giving him a reassuring smile she got up and hurried through into the hallway, where Henry -her housemate and cousin- was hanging up his coat. 

"Hey girl!" he chirped, making a start on toeing off his shoes, failing to notice how odd Allie looked. "Shit! That shift nearly killed me and I gotta go ba-" he stopped short and recoiled at the look on her face. "Damn girl....you okay?" 

"Erm....no. I'm a pretty fuckin' long way from okay." she said to him in hushed tones. 

"Oh God, what's happened?" he stepped over to her, ready to reach out and bring her into a hug. 

"Nothing serious. No one's dead or anything....well...they kinda are but...not." she dropped her shoulders with a sigh. "Oh shit, I don't even know." 

"What the hell is going on?" Henry worried, reaching out to touch her shoulder, silently offering what support he could without a clue what was troubling her. 

"There's someone in the kitchen, and...." she wasn't sure if she wanted to say what she needed to, beginning to feel like she didn't want the dream to end, but she couldn't live in a delusion, no matter how beautiful it was starting to feel. "...I need you to go see if you can see him too....because if you don't see him, I think you need to get me to a hospital as soon as possible, because something might be wrong in my brain."

Henry scratched at the short dark curls on his head. His expression a perfect mix of deeply puzzled and worried beyond measure. "What are you on about?"

"Just go look, _please!_ "

Henry shook his head softly in disbelief, but he didn't question her demands any further. She crossed her arms over her chest and began nibbling on her thumb, watching as her older cousin headed to the kitchen. Following cautiously behind slower, feeling almost scared to discover if she'd really lost all grasp on her own reality. 

"Dude!" Henry sang out. "Sweet cosplay, man!" Completely unaware of the magnitude of the situation he headed across to the kitchen area, making a start on getting a coffee, taking no issue with the visitor. "I got a tan jacket somewhere that'd work if you wanna borrow it..." Henry turned back and titled his head, his dark amber eyes scanning Arthur closely from across the room. "Nah, it'd probably be too small for ya, but you're killing it with the shirt and suspenders anyway. You've even got the neckerchief." he noted. 

"Cos-cos play?" Arthur frowned deeply at the handsome mixed race man who was clearly excited by something that completely escaped him personally. "What's cosplay?" 

"Oh my God! Say something else. You've got his voice down too." Henry laughed heartily. "Say 'sure' or 'there's my boah!'" 

Arthur turned to look at Allie, stricken expression on his face at the way Henry sounded just like he knew himself too. He didn't know if he should burst into tears or start throwing punches. It was clear he had no idea why Henry was mocking his voice, or how he even knew what he sounded like. 

"It's not a cosplay." Allie told nervously, leaning against the door for support as her heart exploded in her chest with a heady mix of excitement and fear. It wasn't a dream either, and she couldn't believe it. 

"Pfffft!" Henry waved his hand, coming over to the dining table where Arthur sat with a big cup of coffee in his hand. "'D'you look just like Arthur Morgan, my dude? Or, does he look like you?....Or!" Henry wagged his finger. "Are you....are the guy who played him? That's so cool! How did you mee-"

Allie jumped in, afraid Arthur would be even more confused by her cousin's well meaning chatter. "No! He's....Look, Henry. He's....he really is Arthur...from the game." 

Henry looked at her blankly, blinked and looked back at Arthur. "Listen, it's not nice to play tricks on a man who's just done a sixteen hour shift in the ER and who's due back again in an hour, and has only come home to change clothes and main-line some black coffee."

"It's not a trick." Allie's tone was as serious as the intense look on her face. 

"Alright, Al. Whatever you say. You got me. I'll get you back, after I've slept for about three weeks." with that Henry made a move for the door. "Nice to meet you, _Arthur_. I hope you get tickets to Comic Con, they'll love you there." with that he was gone. 

Arthur looked to Allie, a deep confusion on his face and a million questions swirling around his head. She sighed softly, and sat back down, fearing her legs could give out any moment. "So, either this is a group psychosis, or this is as real as can be." 

On that note a long silence grew between them, neither knew what to say as they each considered the fact that what was happening was indeed - very real, very confusing and absolutely not a dream.

"Alright, so what now?" Arthur asked out, unable to keep silent any longer. 

Allie thought for a moment, and then gave a shrug. "Well, I guess, this means you're really here, so...we need to start catching you up on the last hundred and twenty years."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! As always, I'd love to hear what you think and if you'd like to see more chapters or Arthur face off against anything in particular from the modern world! :)


	6. Revelations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys, 
> 
> Thank you all for showing so much love on the last chapter. It's so great to know you're enjoying this fic, as it's a lot of fun to write. Without further ado, here's the next installment! Enjoy! :)

"So, women got the vote?" Arthur asked, having been sat at Allie's kitchen table, discussing some of the finer points of modern society's evolution, since Henry headed up to prepare for another gruelling shift at the hospital.

"Yep. But politicians are still mostly assholes." Allie chuckled. 

"Good to know that ain't changed." he nodded. "So what else is different?"

Allie took a deep breath and thought back on modern American history. "Well, it's not illegal for black people to marry white people anymore." 

Arthur's eyebrows raised and a smile played on his lips. "Really?"

"Yeah. Like Henry's mom, she's one of my other aunts, she's white and married to his father who's African American. They've been together going on thirty-five years now..."

"Well," Arthur chuckled. "Ain't that something." A lopsided smile pulled across his lips, amazed how, open, accepting and tolerant the new world seemed to be. 

"Yep, and also, men can marry other men, and women can marry other women too." 

His jaw fell a little loose. "You don't say?" 

"It's a fairly recent thing, but a lot of states recognize gay marriage now, other countries do too." 

Arthur nodded thoughtfully, he'd known people from every race, colour, creed and orientation over the years, and unlike other's in his time, he'd taken no issue with anyone who appeared different to what was considered by most to be "normal" and "appropriate". He had nothing against anyone who was different to him in any way, as long as they were decent people and gave him no undue cause for concern. 

"Y'all come quite a way, huh?" 

"For the most part." she nodded. "I think the girls in camp especially would be tickled to know how far things have come for women. We got female politicians now, women in the military and police force too, female lawyers, women doing pretty much everything imaginable now. We're still fighting for equal pay though." 

"Do the same job, get the same pay, that's how we always worked in the gang." Arthur said, matter-of-factly, making Allie give a soft chuckle. 

"I think you were all a little bit before your time. This modern world is a complete shit-show in many respects, but the fact we seem to be steadily becoming much more tolerant of others is a great thing."

"Yeah it is." he agreed. 

"There are still far too many racist, misogynistic assholes around though, trying to set things backwards."

"Well, wasps will always come to a picnic." Arthur insisted. 

Allie laughed. "Yeah, ain't that the truth." 

A moment of silence fell on them as they both looked at their coffee cups. Digesting everything that had happened in the short time they'd known each other. Arthur struggling to keep all the new information he had in some semblance of order, while Allie battled to hold onto the fact she was sitting in her kitchen talking to a man that was only pixels a matter of hours earlier. 

"I've got so much to catch up on." Arthur muttered, taking a sip of his coffee. 

"I know, but there's no rush and if you have any questions don't chew on 'em, ask me, I'll do my best to explain what I can. If I can't, Henry'll probably be able to, he's a real smart dude."

"Dude?" he asked, wondering what that word meant that he kept hearing. 

"It means like, feller, or friend, but you can use it for both men and women." 

"Alright then. _Dude._ " 

Allie snickered, finding his naivety and attempt to fit in endearing. The expressions that had danced over his face as he listened to her explain how the modern world had changed made her heart flutter too. He looked adorably handsome in his confusion and wonder. The cogs almost audibly turning in his head as she caught him up on twenty-first century society. 

"I know doesn't seem like it, but this world and the one you knew and basically still the same. Your game was based on our world, and people are amazed by how realistic it is. I mean, technology and society have moved on, for better and worse, but you know....all the basics are the same. Nature especially, and we have a lot of the same traditions and stuff, and people ain't much different either. Some folks are good, others are complete shit heels."

"Good to know that ain't changed." Arthur scoffed amusedly. "I met some strange folk in my time, 'specially them last few months. 

"I know, some real characters."

"Yeah, Albert, the photographer feller?" he asked, and Allie nodded. "He was crazy, I hope he made it okay."

"Me too. He had no sense of danger."

Arthur shook his head softly, a light smile in his eyes. "Nope, he did not." He thought back on all the faces he could recall, all the adventures he'd had in the last months of his old life. Eager to learn how his experiences compared to the world she knew as the only real and true one. "You see that strange little feller in Saint Denis? The one who was writin' all them things 'bout the place?"

"Yeah. I think he was a vampire."

Arthur's brow dropped. "A vampire?" 

"Yeah, you know, creatures who only come out at night and drink blood, turn into bats. All fangs and shit." Allie sucked her bottom lip under her top teeth and made a rapid, repeated, short sucking sound making Arthur laugh heartily. She smiled at him, clearly enjoying his amusement as much as he did. 

Rubbing a hand over his chin, Arthur thought about how she had already made him laugh deeply twice that morning, charming him effortlessly with silly sayings and behaviours. He'd only known her a few hours but he was already growing to like her. She clearly had a dirty mouth, which he didn't mind at all, and she was certainly one of the most amusing women he could ever recall meeting. 

Putting the potentially unruly contemplation to one side -worried about where it would lead him- he nodded. "Like in one a'them dime novels?"

"Exactly." she confirmed. "They're not real in this world. Well, there some people who think they are, or could have been, but there's no real proof they ever exist. They're kinda like...."

"Fictional?" Arthur said, his mood suddenly turning a little solemn. 

Allie tried not to sigh, she hated how his disposition had so visibly darkened by the reminder of what he was meant to be on paper. "More like a myth, I guess." 

Arthur nodded, digesting the truth. If one thing about his reality had to be untrue, he was glad that creepy feller was it. 

Not wanting to dwell too much on his own situation, he continued questioning Allie. "So what about them big lizard things? Dinosaurs? They real?"

" _Were._ They're all gone now, but they did exist for millions of years, just the same as you knew. There's lots of bits of them remaining, bones and such. And they kinda live on in other animals too, like lizards and chickens and other birds."

"Chickens?" Arthur cried. "Get outta here!"

Allie laughed at the outraged look on his face. "I'm serious. Chickens are the closest living relative to dinosaurs, apparently." 

"You're messin' wi'me."

"I am not." she laughed, amused by the astonished expression on his handsome face. "I could take you to a museum so you could see all the exhibits on stuff like this, so there's so much to learn."

Arthur pondered that for a moment, it seemed like a wise thing to do at some point, since it wasn't just the history of the world he had to catch up on, but the reality of it all too. "I guess that'd be fun." he nodded, a little bud of excitement taking root in his gut for future plans. "What about that weird thing in the sky, all lit up and flashin' like? You see that too?"

Allie snickered, she knew he was indirectly asking if she was to blame. "Yeah. I saw it. We call them UFO's, unidentified flying objects." Arthur gave a facial shrug and nodded to show he was following, storing the information for potential later use. "Millions of people have seen them, so they could be real in this world, but the government denies they exist despite all the evidence that's out there. Loads of people think they've been abducted by aliens too."

"Aliens?" his eyebrows raised and met in the middle, making her smile to herself for the hundredth time that hour. 

"They're little fellers from outer space, allegedly. But that's a whole rabbit hole you really don't wanna go down." 

"Hummm....seems so." Arthur pondered that for a moment. "So what about animals? Y'all have horses here, right?"

"Of course." she nodded. "Honestly, we have everything you did." 

"So alligators are real here?"

"Yep." she nodded. 

"Even one's like that big sonuvabitch?"

"Yeah!"

"Well, I'll be damned. I coulda swore they'd a'been made up."

Allie snickered, his disbelief was deeply endearing. "No, they're real."

"What about snappin' turtles?"

"Real."

"Rattle snakes?"

"Real." she smiled at him tenderly, she could see him turning things over in his head, like a cow chewing the cud. "Everything you know from your reality, is real here too, to one degree or another. Your world is this world, just from a hundred odd years ago. The only thing that's really different from the world you knew is maybe a bit of the history, presidents and stuff, and the geography too...at least as far as I know."

"How you mean?"

"Well, I don't think any modern state was ever known as West Elizabeth or New Hanover. But all the places you knew are based on real places here, like I guess, Colorado?"

Arthur shook his head. "Nah, I know Colorado. I been there."

"Was it close to West Elizabeth?"

"Few days ride."

Allie nodded, mulling the information over. "Well, I'm not entirely sure how the geography you knew fits in to what we know here. But I think that's all that's majorly different. I guess Lemoyne is based on Louisiana, as Saint Denis is very much like New Orleans." 

Arthur nodded his head softly, struggling to keep track of all the new information that felt somewhat important in the big picture. "I'm gonna need to get a map from some place." 

"I'm sure we can see to that." she smiled. 

"So what else ain't the same?"

"Not that much. I mean, you can't just knock back a tonic and have it cure all your ills in a heartbeat" 

"They never worked that good anyways, to be honest." The blissful distraction from the complexity of his situation was shattered by the recollection of his final weeks. "Do y'all...." he hesitated, uncertain if he wanted the answer or not. "D'yall have tuberculosis here?"

Allie sighed softly. "Yeah, we do, but-" before she could finish Henry appeared in kitchen doorway, eyeballing Arthur strangely for a moment before looking to Allie. 

"Can I have a word?" he asked her, and she nodded and got up, following him out into the hallway where they could talk privately. "Listen, who is that guy? _Honestly._ "

Allie rolled her blue eyes; she knew she couldn't expect anyone to believe her but she was already getting tired of trying to explain things to herself, never mind others. "He's really Arthur, from the game. I'm not screwing around, Hen." she insisted, but it was her cousin's turn to roll his eyes in disbelief. "Last night, during the storm, he appeared in the backyard and we're been trying to figure out what the hell is going on ever since." 

Henry leaned in close to her, placing his palm on her forehead to test for a fever first, before cupping both sides of her face and pulling her cheeks down with his thumbs, to get a good look at the inside of her lower eyelids and pupils too. "You taken anything?"

"No, don't be ridiculous!" she cried, swatting his hands away and taking half a step back. 

"I'm not being ridiculous, it's you who thinks there's a virtual cowboy sitting in our kitchen."

" _Formerly_ virtual cowboy." Allie corrected. "Look, I don't know how it happened, and I do realize I sound absolutely insane saying it and that it's entirely impossible, beyond the realms of science and logic, but go look at him and tell me that he doesn't look exactly like Arthur." Something in Henry's firm eyes seemed to yield. "He sounds the same, he's dressed the same, he's got the same memories and he's got no clue about where he is or how he got to the twenty-first century." Henry's expression softened further at Allie's insistence. "I know this is completely unbelievable, I didn't believe it was legit until you spoke to him. I thought I'd lost my damn mind, but he's here....he's real and I don't know what to do about it."

Henry blew out a sigh, considering the facts for a moment. "Alright, I believe you. I don't know why but if this is a prank you need to ditch writing and turn to acting because you got me convinced." 

Allie wanted to chuckle but being reminded of the magnitude of the situation she was in felt like no laughing matter. "I wish it was a prank, 'cause I don't know what I'm gonna do with him."

"First thing's first, let's make sure he's actually a real human being and not some supernatural manifestation or some shit." Henry teased. "Bring him to the hospital in about an hour, meet me round the side door on the north of the building, and I'll sneak you guys in and run some tests. 'Cause we'll need to know if he's sick too."

Allie breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you!"

"Just know that I could lose my job over this, so if you're foolin'-" Allie cut him off. 

"I'm not, I swear. And I appreciate what you're doing for me... _for him_..."

"It's lucky I love ya!"

"Ain't it just!" Allie grinned, stepping in to give her older cousin a hug before he vanished off to work. There was more to get her head around than she could ever manage, a rough sea of complications and confusion to navigate through, but making sure Arthur was healthy and a genuine flesh and blood man seemed to be a good jumping off point.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

"Alright," Allie chirped, stepping out the front door with Arthur close behind. His newly dried jacket on his back, looking sheepish as he stepped out into the modern world for the first time, hat and satchel held tightly in his hands. "I know you don't need mothering, but if you get freaked out and want to come back here, just tell me, alright? I don't want to overwhelm you with anything."

Arthur nodded, appreciating her gentle hold but having no words to offer as he looked around and scanned the homes and driveways across the street. The houses were spaced good and far apart, lots of land stretching far back into lines of trees and small sections of woodland, big front yards wrapping round each large house, giving the residents plenty of space outdoors as well as in. Yet it seemed like there wasn't a field or horizon in sight - too much damn civilization for Arthur's liking. 

"This is a car...it's how we get around in this day and age." Allie announced, leading the way down the front path to the long driveway where her black SUV sat waiting. 

"Not horses?" he wondered, fiddling with the brim of his hat nervously, eyeballing the strange looking machine that awaited them. 

"Yeah, but not for transport anymore." Allie said leading him down the drive to the car. "My uncle actually owns a stud farm and livery not too far from here, but there's not really that many people who have horses these days. You have to learn to drive one of these instead, or take an Uber or the bus everywhere." 

"Do I need to know what they are?"

Allie looked over her shoulder and gave him a soft smile. "An Uber is a bit like a stagecoach that comes to you. You order a ride and someone shows up to pick you up and takes you wherever. The bus....well, I guess it's like a train, or the trolley in St Denis, but it doesn't follow a track and the stops are closer together."

"Oh...okay." he nodded, hoping he was following and getting more of a handle on the modern world and it's technologies, but then he suddenly recoiled at the strange chirp the black SUV made on their approach.

"Right, so...let's do this." she said, feeling as nervous as he looked. She rounded the passenger side of the car and opened the door for him. "Get in, sit down, and buckle up."

"Buckle up? You told me to leave my belt inside?" 

Allie chuckled softly at his cluelessness. "It's a different kind of buckle." 

Stuck for what else to do and feeling like he was in some kind of daze now he was out in the open, under overcast daylight, he did what he was told and climbed into the car and wedged himself into the passenger seat. Scanning the strange interior for a moment, noting so many odd looking knobs and levers, before his eyes began to search for something resembling a buckle. The only buckles he was familiar with where on belts, suspenders and horse tack, and there was nothing he could see that fitted any of those descriptions inside the strange enclosed wagon. 

"You okay?" Allie asked, as she got in herself and closed the door behind her. 

Arthur shrugged. "I guess." 

The confused look was back on his face and she smiled. Without a moment's thought she twisted in her seat to reach around him for the seatbelt, not realizing she was pressed right up against him until it was too late to retreat. 

She froze. 

She was close enough to see the brightest blue in his eyes and smell the frontier on him. Her soft breasts pressed against his firm shoulder, feeling the rise and fall of his breathing syncing with hers as they looked into each other's eyes, faces almost touching. A gentle tingling feeling rising through her, as his body heat mingled with hers so intoxicatingly. 

"Take this..." she said abruptly, snapping herself out of any potential ill thoughts, as she handed him the buckle of the seatbelt and eased back. "And click it into here..." she showed him where the anchor point was besides him and he finished the action. "See! All strapped in." she smiled softly, doing the same for herself, trying to catch her breath after such a close encounter. "You have to do this every time you're in a car, 'cause these things go a lot faster than wagons did." 

The warning chased away the strange haze that had fallen over Arthur with her being so close, and he cautiously grabbed hold of the handle bar on the door, making her chuckle. "I'm a good driver, ya know? You can relax. We'll survive the trip." He didn't seem convinced enough to let go and it amused her greatly. "...We won't go far, we'll just meet Henry at the hospital, and then if everything goes okay, we'll go get you some things. I know a place nearby, sells all kinds of stuff, we'll find you some clothes and other bits and pieces."

Arthur really wasn't sold on the idea of being examined at a hospital, or going shopping either, but he couldn't argue it was probably for the best that he got checked out and at least find a change of clothes. Her cousin seemed like a good feller too, even if he was much too amused by what was going on and still didn't believe he was the real Arthur Morgan. 

"Alright." he nodded, guessing the best thing he could do was just go with the flow.

"Okay. Let's go." with that she jabbed the key in the ignition and fired up the engine. Suddenly the car came alive with ear destroying noise and Arthur jolted back in his seat, head darting to look at her wide eyed and unnerved. "Shit! Sorry!" she cried, reaching out and turning off the stereo that had been relentlessly blaring heavy guitar music. "That's not a nice introduction to modern music." 

"How'd you get music in here?..." he looked around, scanning the back seat. "Where the hell does the phonograph go?"

She bit down on the laughter that tickled her chest and turned the volume down, before pressing the on button again. "It all comes through here....we get something called radio now...which is like music and talking and commercials that you can't control....or you can put in a CD..." he pulled a confused face that seemed as if it would leave permanent lines on his face. "It's like a round flat shiny disk thing, that holds information. They're a bit outdated now though, it's all MP3's and streaming services."

"I have no idea what any of that means."

"I barely do, so don't worry about it." she laughed. "If you press these buttons, it'll switch through different radio stations. This big dial here turns the volume up and down." She demonstrated then gestured for him to try. "I love music, it's the best thing about this world some days." 

Arthur felt a strange sense of relief, he loved music too. He rarely felt more content than when he was singing along in camp and hearing Dutch cranking out different pieces from his phonograph. It felt reassuring to know she enjoyed it too and that there was the possibility of something being familiar in the weird and wonderful world he was in. 

Encouraged, he boldly began to prod at the shiny buttons just as she'd shown him. Eager to find out if any tunes were familiar to him. 

_'Q-One-Oh-Four-Point-Three. New York's classic roc-'_

He flinched at the aggressive voice leaping out at him and quickly pressed another button to make it stop. _'If you need tires, get on down to NYS Discount Tires for all your-'_ he hit the next button and a pretty tune filled the car, some woman singing about love with the help of an acoustic guitar. He sighed, relieved the assault on his senses seemed to be over and that at least love songs seemed to have carried over into his new world. 

"This okay?" 

"If you like it, leave it on, if not keep flippin' channels. Driver usually picks the tunes, but I'll give you the honour.... _this time_." 

Arthur pressed at another button and an upbeat pop song pumped out of the speakers, as Allie released the parking brake and reversed off the driveway. Arthur, suddenly braced himself, on to the door and pushing his hand against the dash to lock himself down, looking around with some degree of alarm as they rolled backwards. 

What little experience he had with women driving wagons in the past didn't encourage confidence, and the strange machine he was locked in seemed a hell of a lot more complicated than a horse and cart ever did too. 

"You sure this is safe?"

Allie tried not to laugh, not wanting to make him feel bad. "Yes, perfectly. It's a hell of a lot safer than that hot air balloon you went in..." 

She guessed riding in a strange vehicle and trusting someone he'd just met in a world he didn't know was all a bit too much first thing in the morning, but she figured it was best to just focus on driving and hope he relaxed more the further they went. 

"Oh Jesus Christ!" he gasped, as Allie got the car on the road and added some gas sending them out of the neighbourhood and off in the direction of the hospital. 

"I know this must be scary," Allie reassured, trying to focus on the road and not the strange feeling of excitement and nervousness that was flipping and diving in her stomach like a tiny deranged dolphin. "...But try to relax a bit if you can. This is the horseless carriage they were talking about in your time."

Arthur scoffed, looking around and wondering what could possibly be connected to a horse in any way, shape or form. "Well, it ain't nothin' like I imagined." 

"There's an engine up front, under the hood. They call the power it produces, horsepower. So, there's a little bit of a connection to the old days."

"I can't believe y'all don't use horses in favour a'this."

"People say they're too expensive to keep, but cars are a damn money pit. Gas just to keep this thing moving costs an arm, a leg, and a first born these days." No reaction came from Arthur, so she glanced over to him and swallowed a laugh at the look on his face, he was clearly unsure if she was joking or not. "Not literally. Gas is about four dollars a gallon though." 

"Four dollars?" Arthur shook his head in disbelief. "Jesus! I got a lot to lean, and even more to get used to." 

"I know. You must be so confused."

"Well I still can't get past the fact y'all have outhouses indoors, so this thing... _this_ is something else."

Allie snickered. "You'll get used to it."

He thought for a minute, ordering his feelings as he looked out the window at the passing buildings, cars and modern folk going about their business. It all looked so odd and unusual, yet intriguing and alluring all at once. So different to what he knew, but somehow strangely familiar too. 

"I guess....this ain't so bad..." he shrugged, relaxing back into the seat as the car eased into a steady speed through the urban streets, as more and more cars came in around them. Some in front, some behind, others parked on the sides of the road, like nothing he'd seen before. "...All this is an adventure, I suppose, and...well...at least I ain't dead no more." 

"Well, there is that." Allie smiled. "Although my head is spinning trying to understand just how you're even here."

"Mine too." 

"I keep wondering if all this had something to do with Francis Sinclair."

"How'd you-" Arthur stopped short, realizing that she knew everything he'd been up to for the past six months. "Why'd you think that?"

"Well....I dunno, but he was a time traveller, right?"

"A what?"

"A time traveller...someone who can move through time and space." she glided the car around a corner and noticed Arthur tensed a little, only to relax again as soon as she straightened up the car. "You know how he seemed kinda weird?" Arthur nodded, his eyes fixed on the road ahead looking for any on coming sign that he should bail out of the door and take his chances hitting the road. "Well, he was from the future...maybe the twenties or thirties....I guess. I couldn't figure out what the point of you meeting him was, now I'm wondering maybe if...." she hesitated, her sketchy theory still didn't make complete sense, nothing seemed to anymore. "I dunno. I can't get my head around any of this."

Arthur was quiet for a moment, watching the road and the passing world, making certain it was safe to focus on something else, before reaching into his satchel and pulling out a small rock statue. "I got this for finding all those carvings he wanted. Never could tell what it was 'sposed to be for." 

Trying to keep her eyes on the road, Allie reached out and took the statue from him, bringing it to center above the steering wheel, so not to have to look away from the road, but her eyes instantly locked on to the object, widening at the very sight of it. 

"Holy shit!" she cried out. 

"Whut?" Arthur asked, bracing himself against the dashboard again, fearing something was wrong with the car, as Allie swerved out of traffic and pulled up to the side of the road abruptly. 

She slammed on the parking brake and made a grab at her neck, holding out the pendant her aunt had given her a few weeks earlier. "This..." she tugged at her necklace, turning to show Arthur. "It's the same." She put up the statue besides the unusual pendant and Arthur leaned in close for a better look. 

Sure enough, close up, the rock carving he'd been gifted was made of the same dark stone, with a strange mix of vibrant, metallic blues and purples with swirls of sparkles laced through the center of it like a miniature nebula. 

"Yeah, _and?_ Thought you said a lot of stuff like this was the same in both our worlds?"

"Yeah, but I've never seen anything like this before." she said, looking over the statue again. "I spent ages trying to find out what the stone was called, I even went into the city a few weeks back to ask around at jewellers but no one could find a name for this type of stone anywhere. I figured it was just some kind of new synthetic gemstone that looked pretty but wasn't really worth anything much."

Arthur's brow ached from frowning so much, but he was so confused by everything going on around him and he couldn't connect with what she was saying properly. "So lemme get this straight....the reality I knew ain't quite a real one?" Allie nodded to confirm. "But this thing I was given by someone in my reality, who's also a fictional character and who don't really exist, is made outta the same stuff as that necklace you have, which ain't known to exist in this world neither, which you already had 'fore I ever got here to this world?" Arthur blinked hard and shook his head, he wasn't sure if any of what he'd said came out in the right order, since his head was twisted in a dozen different ways. "What in the hell is goin' on?" 

Allie was as startled and confused as him. It didn't make any sense that she could have been in possession of the same type of mysterious stone that couldn't be identified in reality but had been given to Arthur in the game before she'd been gifted the necklace in the real world. She blinked hard, her head was starting to throb with the sound of the idling engine. 

"I can't explain it, all I know is that this gem stone doesn't seem to exist here and you didn't either until last night..." Allie said handing back the statue to Arthur, a tide of strange emotions pulling her under as she considered the possibility that the unusual piece of jewellery was actually to blame for everything that had happened. "God! This is weird as hell." 

"Yeah it is." Arthur nodded, tucking the statue back into his satchel. "I dunno what's goin' on. I don't have a damn clue how I can be in this world, in twenty-nineteen or how I could be a hundred and fifty-six years old but still feel like I did back then....'fore I got sick I mean..." 

"I wish I could make sense of it for you, Arthur." she said sadly, her mind was chaotic in trying to figure out how she could be in possession of the same type of mysterious stone that he'd been given. "I know this must be scary for you."

Arthur thought for a moment, he'd felt fear many times in his life but since being there with her he hadn't touched on anything close to that dark, cold emotion. "I'm not afraid." he insisted. "I'm just, confused." 

"Me too. I'm sorry that I got you into this mess." 

"It's not your fault." he insisted. 

She couldn't bring herself to tell him it was; too disturbed by the very idea that the thing around her neck held enough power to bring a fictional man to life. She'd read that stupid scroll and the promises it made. If she hadn't dismissed it as merely a rouse to sell a fancy looking necklace for a bigger price she wouldn't have let her mouth run away with her and wished the poor guy into existence. She would have wished him something better, good health, immunity to TB, someone in canon who loved, appreciated and accepted him for who he truly was - anything but forcing him into a place she knew he couldn't possibly want to be. 

A lingering silence fell over the car as they both looked inwardly for answers and understanding of what exactly was going on, and the mess they'd found themselves in. Each trying to wrap their heads around what few facts they had and what it all could mean. 

"I'm sorry, Arthur." she said softly, guilt turning her stomach sick.

He wasn't sorry about it, not at all. He was sure how much he liked the new world, or if he would have chosen to be there given the option, but he was sure that he didn't want to be dead anymore. 

As it happened death wasn't as grim as he'd expected. It wasn't fiery or torturous, but that didn't mean he liked it any. He got to see all those he'd lost, spend enough time with them to feel the peace he'd hungered for, but after that it was just a sense of serene nothingness where time didn't exist and neither did pain. 

He was content with it, having found solace in closure, at least he wasn't burning for eternity like he thought he'd be. Bad men like him didn't get second chances, no clean slates, just forever carrying their burdens. Yet by some magic he'd been cut from the ties that bound him to his dark past and thrust into a world where he could truly start afresh. 

A confusing world that troubled him as much as it intrigued him, but the more minutes he spent in the modern world the more grateful he was for another shot at living his life to the fullest he could. Even if it would be an uphill struggle to figure out his place and how the world around him worked, on even the most basis level. 

"Don't be sorry, I ain't." he said honestly. "As weird as all this is, I think I'm kinda glad to be here. It sure beats being dead anyway." 

"Yeah it does." she gave him a shy smile, taking energy and encouragement from the way he looked at her with such hope in his eyes. "And we'll figure it out, we've got the internet these days so I'm sure I can find answers somehow, or a way to make this work out right for you." 

Arthur frowned; he appreciated her enthusiasm but yet another question had popped up in his mind and wouldn't be swatted away. "What in the hell is the internet?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I would love to hear any thoughts/feelings/suggestions you have. Your comments and kudos give me life! :) xoxox


	7. Answers

"Just how many people are alive in this damn world?" Arthur asked, as he and Allie walked across the hospital parking lot. The sea of vehicles and people coming and going had him bewildered. Even in the big cities of his time, he couldn't remember seeing so many folks, and if cars had replaced horses he'd certainly never seen so many mounts in one place before. 

"Well over seven billion."

"SEVEN BILLION?" Arthur cried loudly, his mouth gaping open. He figured the population had at least more than doubled, but that was a ridiculous figure by anyone's standards. He suddenly became aware of how several heads had turned and were looking directly at him, making him sink into himself and soften his voice. "All those folks? Really?"

Allie nodded. "Yep. And the planet is struggling to keep us all but we keep bangin' each other and pushing out more babies." 

"Jesus!" he groaned, glancing around the area, mesmerized by so many strange looking people in their modern clothes. Many of them with their faces fixated obsessively on a small thin box held in their hands or pressed up against their ears, talking away to someone he couldn't see nor hear himself. Others seemed to be holding them up and pulling faces at them strangely too or pointing them at the long containers with coloured liquids inside, or clear boxes that seemed to hold salad or other types of food - it was all so damn strange to him. 

He felt so out of place, certain he was sticking out like a sore thumb but he kept his head down and followed closely alongside Allie. He always liked to be aware of his surroundings, in case trouble presented itself, but outside the hospital, with so many people around, he felt exposed. No weapons and no clue if what was going on around him was normal or a cause for concern. All he could do was put his faith in the young woman at his side and hope she'd tell him quickly if he had reason to worry. 

"We're not going in the main door." Allie told him, leading him away from where most of the crowd was centralized. "Henry said to slip in round the side."

"Alright." Arthur nodded, and quickened his pace to match hers as they traced around the huge glass fronted building to a side alleyway between two different structures. 

Allie herself was worried enough, imagining they were attracting undue attention, with him dressed like he'd just stepped off a ranch in his default outfit, her dressed in black skinny jeans, boots and a dark grey bomber jacket. They couldn't have looked more different side by side, but they felt strangely connected in their quest for answers and hunger for anonymity. 

Cautiously, she lead Arthur on past a row of darkened windows to a large red door, where she knocked rapidly a couple of times and listened. No one seemed to be waiting inside, so she leaned back against the wall and took out one of the same square boxes Arthur had seen other people carrying around. 

"We're a bit early." she told him, looking at the object. 

"What is that thing?" he pointed. 

"It's called a cell phone." she passed it to him so he could have a closer look, but his confused expression only deepened. "It's a telephone but for in your pocket."

Arthur turned the phone over in his hand, brow furrowed tightly. "Where's the cable things go?"

The look on his face was adorable, and she swallowed a chuckle, pushing through it to explain. "There aren't any. Lots of things are wireless these days. There's information being passed about all around us." Arthur looked up from the phone and glanced around like he was searching for something, making it impossible for her not to snicker. "It's invisible and complicated to explain, but try not to worry about it." Hoping to distract him she stepped closer, leant into him and reached out to open up the phone menu. "It does a whole bunch of other stuff too, like tell the time, and access the internet. You can play games on it and stuff too." 

"My game?" Arthur asked hopefully. 

"No, your game is way too advanced for a smart phone." she assured. "They're simple games...here, let me show you." Arthur handed her the phone back and she thumbed through her apps, finding a shape matching game to demonstrate. "Here...." she passed it back to him and leaned in close again to offer instructions. "You have to look for three or more of the same shape and colour candies, and use your finger to press on one and drag it in any direction to form a full line, like this..." she reached in and flicked a green candy into a row, making it vanish and a funny sound play. Arthur gave a huff that sounded partly like shock with a dash of amusement. "It's easy to get the hang of, give it a try." With that she took half a step back and watched as Arthur copied her action by dragging a blue candy towards another two, clicking them together and making them disappear again.

"Look at that!" he cheered, his eyes going to Allie for approval. 

"You got it!" she grinned. "Try another one." Arthur did as he was told, flicking a red candy into line and smiling at the twinkly little noise it made when it vanished and more candies fell down. "People love this game for some reason." 

"Beats dominos." Arthur said, eyes fixed on making another match. 

"I dunno about that. I don't know how to play." 

Arthur looked up at her, holding her pretty blue eyes for a beat. "Well, maybe that's somethin' I can teach you?"

She smiled at him warmly, excited by the prospect. "I'd like that." 

Suddenly Arthur forgot about the incredible wonder he held in his hand, focusing in on her face and pretty blue eyes instead, thinking how no matter what miracles technology produced nothing came close to the beauty of nature and the natural craftsmanship that went in to such a fine-looking face. 

Allie swallowed hard, the heat she felt cutting through her when he looked into her eyes like that was enough to melt her to a puddle. He was so handsome, even more so in the flesh than in the game. Eyes of a unique blue that seemed so intense yet so soft all at once. His curious and admiring gaze encouraging sensations inside her that turned her mouth dry and her head fuzzy. 

Suddenly the door behind them popped open and Henry appeared. "C'mon. I've got about twenty minutes before this place goes into meltdown and they come looking for me." 

Allie and Arthur stepped back from each other, both feeling oddly shy about the moment that had just occurred between them. Arthur handed the phone back and the shook off the strange feeling that had settled on him to focus on following Henry inside. Hoping answers and reassurances the hospital could offer would come quickly and without drama. 

They stepped out of the daylight into a quiet shaded corridor, letting the door close behind them and following in single file behind Henry, who ushered them into a examination room and got to work right away. 

"Okay, I'm gonna need to get some samples. Sit up on the bed for me." he instructed Arthur as the younger man began fishing out dozens of packets and instruments from various drawers, ready to give Arthur a full once over. "Slip your jacket off, and roll up your sleeves. I promise this'll as painless as possible." 

Arthur did as he was told, glancing over to Allie who was standing in the corner, arms crossed over her chest, nibbling at her thumb nervously. He'd seen doctors before, and wasn't too concerned about whatever Henry had planned, but she seemed a little rattled by Henry gathering up so many packages and pots. 

He guessed he should have been more troubled too, but he was running on instinct alone, going with whatever came his way to survive and push through it, like he had practically every day of his life. Focusing on the moment, and trying not to over complicate things by wondering what the consequences were likely to be. 

He watched on as Henry dragged some tall, wheeled contraption over to besides the bed and set to tapping at the buttons besides the screen and fiddling with the attachments. Everything looked so damn shiny and clean. It smelled funny too, like nothing he'd experienced before. A smell he couldn't quite describe that was neither offensive or comforting. It just smelled clean, and he guessed that at least that was a big improvement on the time he'd lived in before. 

"Alright, lemme just get in here..." Henry said, lifting Arthur's arm just enough to slip a blood pressure cuff around his thick bicep. "This'll be a bit uncomfortable, but it'll take your blood pressure and it'll only take a couple of minutes."

"Okay." Arthur nodded. Watching as Henry hooked the cuff up to a machine on wheels, and hit a button which fired up a noise that sounded a little like a broken cow. He looked to Allie with alarm, as the cuff began to tighten and pinch, she gave him a warm, reassuring, smile that told him everything was normal and to be expected. 

Sure enough, as Henry had promised the test didn't take long. Suddenly the pinch in his arm melted away with a gush of air and Henry stepped in and ripped off the cuff again. "All good!" he smiled, glancing back at Allie who was slowly turning pale. 

Up until that moment, she had subconsciously believed everything she was going through was still a dream. Some really intense, vivid dream, that she'd eventually wake up from. Despite having spoken with Arthur at length, fed him, watered him, and seen him interact with things around her in ways she couldn't have imagined on her own, a part of her still didn't believe he was really there. Seeing his pulse reading showing on the machine had bought it rushing home, that he was indeed a real. A living soul that she'd dragged into her world without his consent. 

Feeling nauseous and nervous, she watched on helpless as Henry delicate drew back on the syringe that was jabbed into Arthur's forearm, drawing out a sample of deep red blood. She never expected to see it, deep inside she'd come to believe he was made of wishes and stardust alone, but there it was, his life's blood, proving without question that he was a real human being. 

She put her to hand to her mouth to stifle a whimper, her vision tunnelling and forcing her to turn away before he noticed the stricken look on her face. 

_What had she done? He was real!_ Thrust into a world he didn't belong in because of her own careless and selfish desires to make him a real man. She swallowed hard through a bone dry throat, feeling like the roof was falling in on her. Compelled to escape, she looked to the small bathroom at the far end of the room, considering rushing inside and hiding before she threw up but she recalculated her getaway. 

"Will you excuse me a minute?" she forced out, before quickly hurrying to the door they'd entered through and slipping outside into the corridor. 

Arthur looked around a little bewildered, he'd seen enough people get spooked to know what was happening to her. "Is she okay?"

Henry nodded, not looking up from his task. "Yeah, she just hates needles is all." 

"Oh." Arthur couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to it, but he didn't want to pry. He'd ask her about it later, when they were back in the car and on the way to her home, where he hadn't realized just how safe he'd felt. 

Outside the examination room, Allie couched down with her back against the wall, head in her hands, fighting off tears. She couldn't believe it, and she wasn't sure she wanted to. He was a real man, a real human being, that she'd somehow wished into existence without his permission or opinion. 

He was a real man, of flesh and blood, with needs, desires, hopes and dreams. Unpredictable in ways he hadn't been in the game and with a whole life in front of him. She felt sick to her stomach for forcing him into a world he didn't know, understand or wish to be in. She suddenly felt so cruel and selfish, irresponsible too. She didn't know where to start in untangling the knot she'd got them both caught up in, or imagining the complexities of being responsible for a man who was from another time. An outlaw with a completely different set of morals and behaviours that would likely see him thrown in jail, at a moment's notice. 

He was no longer just a character, who had a predefined path mapped out for him where she was just along for the ride with no long term consequences that couldn't be undone by strategic manual saves. His life and wellbeing was completely in her hands, for real this time, and such responsibility had her terrified. 

She took a few deep breaths, calming herself as best she could, not wanting him to see any sign of regret or fear in her. Believing she'd have to be strong and positive beyond measure to help him for however long he would want to stay with her. She'd seen too many people let him down and do him wrong, and she was determined not to become one of them. 

Worrying scenarios began rushing through her mind as she tried to calm herself, question on top of question about how her wish could have possible come true to bring a man who didn't exist to life. How could a man with no identity build a life for himself in a new reality? How would he survive in a world so different and structured to the one he knew? Wondering between thoughts if he'd resent her for dragging him there and if she'd actually be able to help him be truly happy in her world. 

Before she could get a grip on herself or even consider the options they had, the door opened up and Henry stepped out, carrying a tray of items for the lab. He closed the door behind him and looked down at her, shaking his head disapprovingly. "Girl, how the hell is he real?"

"I don't know." she cried, getting to her feet. "I think....I think it's got something to do with this necklace." she told him, grasping the pendant she wore to show him. 

Henry placed the tray down on a small surface attached to the wall outside the treatment room door and stepped closer to her. "Aunt Jules got that for you, right?"

Allie nodded. "Yeah, in the box it came in, there was a little scroll with some poem or instructions that mentioned wishes coming true....I thought it was total bullshit, I mean, when the fuck do wishes ever come true, right?....But then..." she was starting to feel dizzy and wanted to go to the floor again but held fast on her feet. "I remembered, last night, before he appeared, I finished the game again and I was talking to Liz on the phone and....she kept breaking up and I kept repeating myself about wishing he was real and the lights went all funny...and I just thought it was the rain storm but..." 

"So hold up, you think you wished a fictional outlaw to life?"

"Yeah...I guess I did. Can't explain how he's here any other way." Suddenly the pressure of the realization of what she'd done broke through the dam inside her and tears burst forth. "I didn't know, Henry...I didn't... I....How could I know this would happen? I didn't mean for this!"

Henry sighed, and stepped close, pulling her into his arms, for a warm calming hug. Letting her cry for a few minutes before easing back to look her in the eye. "After what's happened to you over the last couple of years, I know you're looking for someone to save, Allie. But couldn't you have just adopted another cat or something? Why'd you have to wish an outlaw into reality?"

Allie gave a hollow laugh, easing back from him a little, feeling a bit calmer for the hug. "I didn't know what I was doing."

"Well if this thing really works..." he pointed to the necklace she was wearing. "And I guess it does, 'cause I can't explain all this any other way....Can you like, wish for us to win the next billion dollar Mega Millions, because that would be fuckin' awesome!"

Allie laughed. "I would, but....I feel like it would be as much a blessing as a curse."

"Yeah, probably." 

Allie dried her eyes with the heel of her palm and took a deep breath, focusing on what was most important. "How is he?" 

"Well, for all intents and purposes, he is a perfectly healthy, strapping, handsome as all get out, thirty-six year old man. All his vitals are perfect." 

"No TB?"

"I won't know that for a while. I've got a friend up in the lab, who owes me a favour, he's gonna run these..." He hooked his thumb over his shoulder and nodded to the waiting tray full of various bodily fluid samples that she didn't care to look closely at. "...Get us some answers as quick as possible, but his chest sounds clear. Hopefully with the tests we can see what's what and try to treat anything untoward accordingly, if there's anything to worry about at all." Allie nodded showing she was following, as her relief began to outweigh the guilt she felt. "I got as much of a health history from him as I could too, but he might need some vaccines. I'm gonna try to make some disappear so we can be sure he's not gonna go picking up anything nasty. He apparently got the big illnesses as a kid, the mumps and such, so he shouldn't be at risk of anything too nasty here, but I expect he'll at least get the flue, or catch a cold or three in the next few weeks." 

She breathed a sigh of relief, if all they had to worry about was a cold, she'd mark that down as great improvement on his life in the game. "What would I do without you?"

"I shudder to think." Henry chuckled. "But you're gonna owe me that Mega Millions wish if I lose my job over this." 

Allie chuckled. "Thank you, you're the best cousin a girl could ask for."

"Oh I know. And feel free to tell everyone that!" he smirked sassily, sharing a light-hearted moment with her before getting serious. "I think you need to go have a talk with him about how this is all gonna work. And then, you need to go get him some modern clothes, because it's only a matter of time before people start starring, or someone asks him about his cosplay again." 

She laughed softly before nibbling her bottom lip apprehensively. "Another fine mess I've gotten me into, huh?"

"Well, trouble is one of your many talents." 

Allie nudged him playfully, sharing a chuckle before they hugged again and then parted ways. She watched Henry walk off down the corridor and disappear into an elevator before she turned to the wall and attempting to use a glass framed poster to check her reflection, carefully wiping at her eyes were her mascara had become smudged. 

Guessing it was time to face the music, she took a deep breath and slipped back into the room on the exhale. Finding Arthur was putting on his jacket again, seemingly unfazed by everything he'd gone through. 

"Hey!" she greeted. 

"Hey!" he picked up his hat and popped it back on his head before perching back on the edge of the bed, looking down at his boots and checking the soles. 

"You okay?"

Arthur glanced up at her. "Yeah. He's a funny feller, huh?" he nodded to the door where Henry had vanished through. "He had me pee in a little cup, what was that about?"

Allie laughed softly, shaking her head. He was so clueless, and adorable with it. "It's just one in a long line of tests that can be done now to check your health."

"So what's the verdict?"

"Well, it's gonna take time for the results to come back, but from what can been seen so far, it seems that apparently you're the healthiest hundred and fifty-six year old ever to walk the earth." she joked. 

Arthur gave a faint chuckle, but the light in his eyes darkened quickly. "What about..." he trailed of, he was so unsure if he even wanted to recall the latter part of his previous journey. 

"TB?" she asked, and he nodded solemnly. "It'll take a few days to be sure, but Henry said your chest sounds clear and even if you have got it, it'll be okay. We can treat it now, you're not gonna die." she said, her chest filling with warmth at the notion she could actually save him from his former fate. "You're gonna be just fine." 

Arthur sighed in mix of sheer relief and delight; he had longed to hear those words for weeks and weeks. Silently hoping for a miracle in his time, despite believing he wasn't worthy of one. Yet somehow, when all hope had been taken from him, he'd found the second chance he longed for, in the strangest of places and in a way he couldn't have ever imagined. 

He chuckled to himself, unable to believe that he'd had to be yanked a hundred and twenty years into the future to get another shot at living out his life to its fullest. "So what now?"

Allie swallowed hard against the lump in her throat. "I have no idea. I guess we're gonna need to find a way to get you legitimized in the eyes of the government."

Arthur recoiled. "Don't like the sound of that." 

"I didn't think you would." she smiled gently. "But I don't know how any of this works, I've never met anyone who didn't really exist before, but I promise I'll find a way to make this right for you. I bought you here and it's on me to make sure that you're gonna be okay."

"It's not on you, Allie." Arthur dismissed again, insistent. "I think we're in this together. If it wasn't for you....well...." he didn't want to think of that sweet nothingness he'd been torn from. The place where he felt everything and nothing all at once. It was nice, better than he'd hoped for and more than he felt worthy of too, but it wasn't living. It wasn't feeling the clean, strong breath in his lungs and his heart beating in his chest again. It wasn't seeing all the world and its beauty or feeling his head full of thoughts and wonder. 

"I'm sorry, Arthur." she said tearfully. "I didn't mean for this. I didn't know if I wished for something this stupid necklace would make it real."

"What'd you mean?" 

"The night you appeared in the backyard, I was talking on the phone, telling my friend how much I wished you were real. I kept repeating myself because the phone was acting funny and...." she sighed, almost defeated by the sense of guilt within her. "This came with a warning," she tugged at her necklace again. "And I didn't take any notice of it, 'cause I just don't believe in magic like that, but somehow a careless wish has dragged you here into a world you don't know or understand and I-" she gasped, tears almost breaking free from her eyes again. 

"Hey!" he called out, getting to his feet and stepping over to her, wanting to touch her in some way, but not being sure how best to do it within the boundaries of politeness. "Don't get upset." he insisted, his hands instinctively trying to busy themselves by hooking into his belt but it wasn't there and he felt even more awkward, almost naked. He stood straighter, focusing himself as best he could. "I've wished for a lotta things, none of 'em ever came true, you weren't to know this would happen, how could ya?" He didn't like how she could barely look him in the eye, she seemed so ashamed of herself. "If it weren't for you makin' that wish, I'd still be gone, and I don't wanna be gone." 

Allie glanced up at him and gave a soft smile. "I don't want you to be either. And I'm glad you're here, and safe, even though I have no idea what to do with you." 

"Well, you're doin' just fine so far." 

She scoffed sadly. "Tell me that when I've figured out a way for you to officially exist. I can't help but feel responsible for you."

"You don't need to, I can take care a' myself." 

"I don't doubt that, Arthur, but this world....it's completely different to what you knew." she insisted, standing a little straighter as the sadness she felt moved aside for more practical feelings. "There's rules, and regulations and laws for literally everything now. It's exactly what you and Dutch and Hosea and everyone else were running away from...." Arthur visibly tensed, but she knew he needed the truth. "...Everyone's lives are kinda controlled now, to one degree or another, you can't just be alive without anyone knowing. You can't just start shooting up a place and then pay the bounty off and go on with your life. You can't rough people up to get what you want anymore. Hell, you couldn't even just roll into town and pitch up a tent without someone sniffing around to see if you've got the right damn permit to be there." Arthur made a grumpy face, he really did not like the sound of those kinds of suffocating restrictions and regulations. "There's practices and expectations of people in this society, and you know, it sucks how complicated things have become, but we're not lawless anymore, and I think it's going to take a long time for you to get to grips with that." The gentle tone of her voice softened Arthur's expression slightly. "It's gonna mean you have to rewrite practically everything you've known, I couldn't leave you to your own devices in good conscience knowing that. Because I don't want to see you get into any kind of trouble." 

He sighed, wishing hard that he had his belt to hook his thumbs into, something to ground him. He hated the very idea of being a burden to anyone. If he wasn't pulling his weight or out working to bring home the bacon he didn't know what to do with himself, but she was right. He needed a navigator through the choppy waters he found himself in, someone who knew and understood where he was from, who he was, and how to stop him ruining the greatest chance he'd ever been given. 

"I don't like the notion that I'm gonna be controlled by government men."

"I don't like it either, and don't get me wrong, they're not breathing down our necks all the time or anything, but there are certain things people have to do these days to comply and stay out of trouble and off people's shit lists....I want to help teach you those things, so..." she hesitated, already the thought of having to one day say goodbye to him - again- hurt deeply. "So one day, when you're ready, you can go on your way and do alright for yourself out here." 

Arthur thought for a moment. The truth was he didn't have much choice but to accept where he was and the complications that came with it. Yet he knew for sure if the choices were going back to the sweet nothingness, reliving his demise all over again, or building some kind of life exactly where he was, then the option to stay put and live his life would win ever time. 

Already however, the thought of being alive and out in the world all by himself felt like one he didn't want to consider. He'd always been fine with his own company of course, but in a world he didn't know it helped tremendously to be with someone familiar. Someone who seemed to care about him so much it boggled his mind to wonder how a man such as he, could elicit such consideration in a person like her. 

"Bad stuff aside," Allie continued, sensing his thoughts were wandering. "There's so much good that I want to show you. Things I think you're gonna really love. There's so many amazing things about this world that you should see." 

"I can tell that already." he nodded, his voice gentle and eyes filling with hope. 

"I mean, Jesus! It could take me a year just to show you what's good to eat these days. No more tins of cold baked beans and salted offal."

Arthur made a face. "You won't catch me complainin' 'bout that."

Allie chuckled but her expression clouded almost instantly, so many words were backing up in her throat like a traffic jam. So much she wanted to say to comfort him and show him that he was safe there. "If you wanna go on your own way, or leave here at anytime, I won't stop you if you think it's the best thing for you. But I also want you to know that you have a place here too, a home." The encouragement in her eyes burned so bright it warmed him through like a hot summer day. "I know all this must be scary, and you must feel alone, and I don't want that for you. I know you're a very capable man, but if you need or want anything, just let me know I'll help you to get it. I bought you here because I felt you deserved a better life than you got, so I'm gonna do the best I can to make sure of that....If that's alright with you?" 

Arthur felt so strange inside; he couldn't remember a time anyone had been so kind to him. Maybe it was Hosea who'd last offered him such support combined with his own freedom. It was maybe Charlotte, the young widow in the cabin who'd comforted him in the perfect, gentle way she had when thinks looked so bleak. Perhaps it was Abigail or Sadie in his last days who'd shown as much concern and warmth for him, but even they hadn't seemed quite as determined to see him as right as Allie appeared to be. 

"That's alright by me." he nodded, thinking himself lucky that he'd been wished into being by someone with room in her heart for a man like him. 

Allie stuck her hand out to him. "We still shake on deals in this world, you know?" 

Arthur gave a soft laugh and took her small hand, and wrapped it in his, shaking to confirm he was ready for the long ride with her. 

Just as Allie had imagined, his hand was rough, palm calloused and his grip was strong but strangely gentle all at once. His touch sent a small but powerful sizzle through her and she scolded herself. The last thing she needed to be doing when he was so vulnerable was to be feeling that way towards him, but he was so painfully attractive. 

_'Goddamnit if I ain't got my work cut out here.'_ she thought.

The mutually broke the handshake and Allie blew out a breath she'd been holding. "I am really sorry that I took you from everything you knew, your friends, your family..."

Arthur shook his head dismissively. "You didn't take me from nothin'." he said firmly. "They was already gone. I was gone too. Now I'm here....and I....I feel fantastic." he enthused. "Well, truth be told, I'm confused as all hell, can't make heads nor tails of this century so far, but you know, it ain't half bad....And I know I don't deserve it, but I feel like a very lucky man to have a shot at a new life here." 

"Really?"

"For sure! And besides...I guess I got what I wanted from that life. I saw John make his family happy. I know Sadie is doin' well for herself, and Charles too, and that everyone who survived did just fine. And you know, this place is one hell of a lot better than where I thought I was gonna find myself. Cooler too." 

Allie chuckled, remembering his speech about going somewhere hot and terrible. Just then a wave of guilt drifted through her stomach jogging her memory, a sensation that told her she'd have to save revealing John's true fate for another day. She pulled the thought of telling him there and then back, her attention focused so much on resisting the urge to mention John that she couldn't hold back other thoughts that came forward. "What about..." she hesitated, realising what she was about to say and not wanting to ask, but he was already looking at her expectantly. "What about Mary?"

Arthur sighed, he knew he'd have to address that sooner or later, and he had already thought about her a few times since arriving. "I dunno. I hope she found happiness but she never would have with me. At the end, I saw that there was no way I could have ever been what she really wanted. Someone would have always pulled me back to being who she hated in me. I just hope my....my dying....set her free."

"You are a special man, Arthur Morgan."

He chuckled shyly, rubbing his chin and looking away digesting the compliment. "Well, considering I lived in a vid-videogame?" he looked at her with a questioning frown, silently asking for confirmation that he'd said the strange word right, and she nodded. "...this time yesterday...I guess I am kinda special now." 

Allie felt awash with relief, but there was still a part of her that couldn't settle. "Won't you miss your time? Your life before?"

"I expect so, part of me does already, but like you said, I can't fix the past, or change what was meant to be in that life, even if I could get back to where it all went wrong for me. And one thing's for sure, I ain't gonna be sad to not have to eat Pearson's stew ever again."

Allie laughed, feeling much brighter and energized, comforted by knowing he seemed so positive about being in her world. "I got so many things for you see, Arthur! So many things to try, so much to do!" Arthur chuckled at her apparent excitement. "But first, we need to go get you some clothes and supplies."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thanks to everyone who showed so much love for the last chapter. I really hope this chapter hit the mark too, and as always I'd love to know what you think. Thanks for reading! :)


	8. All That Glitters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! I'm so sorry for the slow updating, life has been kicking my ass at the moment, so I haven't been able to get this edited to a standard I was happy to share.   
> Big thanks once again to all of you who showed love for the last chapter, it means to world to know you're enjoying my work. This chapter is a fairly long one, but it's also my favourite of the ones posted so far, so I've got my fingers crossed you all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! 
> 
> Without further ado....I give you - Arthur meets Walmart! ;)

"So what is this place?" Arthur asked, looking out of the passenger side window at the big industrial looking building ahead of them and all the people milling around. Folks ducking in and out of their cars; wrangling kids and small silver barrows full of white sacks. Everything looked so unusual and brand new, yet strangely familiar all at once. It seemed like a regular day in one of the many towns he'd visited in his former life. Folks doing what needed to be done, keeping to themselves as they went about their daily, modern, lives. 

"It's called Walmart." Allie revealed. "It's like...a huge general store...it sells everything, from guns to shampoo." she tried not to smile at the bewildered, wide eyed, look on his face as his eyes glided around the scene just outside the car. "Don't worry." she assured him, sensing he was becoming a little unnerved. "There's always someone weird walking around in these places, no one is going to bat an eye at you, but if anything gets overwhelming or-" she hesitated on saying 'scary', fearing he'd take offense to her assuming it was possible for a big gruff outlaw to get spooked. "...I know you don't need your hand holding, but I just want you to know, if it all gets too much or anything, just tell me and we'll get out of here, okay?"

Arthur appreciated her understanding, his head was constantly swimming under the pressure of everything he was trying to take in, but he didn't want it to stop. The adventure was as appealing and exciting as it was challenging and unfamiliar. "Sure."

"Or if I'm telling you too much and you need me to repeat something, or anything like that, just let me know, I..." she hesitated, not wanting to smother him. "I just don't want you to be any more confused by all this than you already are."

"I'll be fine." Arthur insisted softly. He wasn't going to let a little thing like being exposed to a completely alien world unravel him. After all he'd been in far more dangerous situations than taking a shopping spree around a fancy, modern, general store. 

"Alright, let's go introduce you to twenty-first century shopping then!"

With that they exited the car and just as he did at the hospital Arthur followed close besides Allie as they crossed the parking lot. Trusting again that she knew what she was doing as she lead him towards the huge brick building with glass doors at the very centre. The place looked devoid of personality or indication of what was held inside, with a corral of the small metal barrow type things all lined up outside like cattle. People coming and going carrying bags and pushing the carts to their cars and back again, not making eye contact or looking too far beyond the ends of their own noses. Arthur could already sense if he called out to greet someone he'd be seen as some kind of fool. Modern folk sure seemed to like keeping to themselves and part of him was relieved. 

Feeling strangely swept away in comparing his past to his present, Arthur's pace began to slow as Allie headed on toward the doors that were opening and closing by themselves ahead of them. The odd sight drew his attention and filled him with curiosity and concern in equal measure. Frowning to himself, he came to a complete stop, lagging behind her by a few feet and just watching on as she strode ahead, moving through the mechanical doors like it was the most natural thing in the world. 

His eyes swept left to right, uncertain of how the doors were moving by themselves and what exactly they were responding to. He half expected to see someone sitting on the other side of the glass pulling ropes but there was no one around, and from what he could tell the behaviour of the doors was completely arbitrary. 

Just inside the store Allie felt an empty space behind her and turned back, chuckling the instant she laid eyes on Arthur still outside. Even from the other side of the tinted glass she could see the bewildered look on his face, while he stood watching the doors slowly coming to a close, only to open again, his mouth open slightly as he tried to understand their movements. Oblivious to the fact he was standing directly in line with sensor so that it detected any tiny movement he made and alerted the doors accordingly. 

"They're automatic," she called out. "Just walk up to them, imagine th-" The doors closed shut, sealed for only a beat or two before a micro-movement Arthur made them open up again. "Imagine they're not there!" she continued, trying hard not to start laughing at his predicament. 

Arthur's mouth tightened into a worried line, he really didn't want to seem like a fool in front of her but the fact the doors seemed to keep opening at random, only to close again quickly after, was making him nervous. It felt like every time he took a breath in the doors parted, pulling back as far as they could before instantly drawing themselves back together again by some sort of magnetic force. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason to their movements, and no timing to be calculated either. 

_'C'mon Morgan!'_ he told himself, determined not to let a set of stupid glass doors get the better of him. Taking a deep breath, he gambled on the timings and set off at a quick pace, pushing forward making a charge for the doors. Eyes darting left and right as he moved, holding his breath in the hope he hadn't misjudged things and saying a prayer to not to get trapped and make a total idiot of himself.

With the door in touching distance he knew it was now or never. He slapped his hand down on top of his hat to hold it in place and jumped through the door. Launching himself over the threshold like a springing deer and sliding into the store sideways, momentum sending him across the tiled floor to a skidding stop a few feet clear of the entrance. Hopping on one leg for a moment, almost losing his balance, before righting himself abruptly. 

He straightening up quick, releasing his hat and tugging his jacket into place as his eyes found Allie a few feet away. She had one hand covering her mouth as she struggled to stifle laughter, her eyes were wide yet tender with a warm sense of amusement. 

He felt a little self-conscious, and looked down to hook his thumbs into the gun belt that still wasn't there. Instead he shuffled his feet and cleared his throat, hoping his embarrassment didn't show too much and she sent him a kind smile that soothed him. 

"You know," She moved closer to him, holding his eyes as she approached. "I've seen you wrestle alligators and take on armies of men, I never thought an automated door would be the thing to rattle you." she teased gently. 

"Well, them things are predictable. That door..." he pointed back as a middle aged woman strolled through pushing a cart like it was as natural as breathing. "I dunno what kind witchcraft is controllin' that." 

Allie chuckled, she didn't want to make him feel bad or confuse him any further, so she didn't explain how they worked but she made a mental note to be sure to clarify the mechanics of automatic entrances better to him next time they encountered such a conundrum. "You're in now, so let's make a start." 

Suddenly Arthur became aware of his new surroundings, inside and under the artificial light, his eyes struggled to take everything in. Focus shifted from left, right and centre rapidly, trying his best to analyse his new environment that came at him in a swirl of colour and sound and smell. It was like nothing he'd ever seen before, even in big cities, there were so many things in one place and far too much going on around him for his comfort. 

Eager to get started, Allie headed over to another corral of carts besides the door and pulled one out while Arthur felt himself getting swept away in the shock of the sheer size of the place. Everything was so bright and airy; so many things to draw the eye this way and that. Piles of fresh produce at one end of the store, a row of what looked like some kind of modern fandangled counters at the other and a sea of colour and chaos directly in front and in between, spread out for as far as the eye could see. 

"If there's anything you wanna look at, just let me know. I figure we should start over there..." she gestured to the right hand side of the store. "We can work our way round to the clothes and then the food, see if there's anything here you wanna try?"

"I'm followin' you." he nodded, not wanting to lose track of the only person he knew in the ocean of technicolor and artificial daylight. 

Moving deeper into the door Arthur felt himself settle a little, but his head continued to sweep left and right taking in the passing shelves and all they had to offer. Nothing looked familiar and everything was so much brighter and cleaner than in his time. Racks all full of every imaginable colour and more, boxes and packets and bottles of all different shapes and sizes, products for uses he had no understanding of. Contraptions that seemed as strange as they did unnecessary too. Everything was in such abundance, and so readily available he could never have imagined such a place existing in his time. 

"Okay, so we're kind of obsessed with looking and smelling good in this day and age..." Allie announced as they turned into the quiet bath and body aisle. "...So you're probably gonna need some shampoo, shower soap, deodorant, toothpaste, mouthwash, stuff for your hair..." 

Arthur's eyes widened almost painfully as he took in their surroundings, he'd never seen so many different types of bottle lined up in one place. There was so much choice every where he looked, far more options than he felt he could ever want or need. "Why'd y'all need all this stuff?"

"Honestly, I don't know..." Allie shrugged. "People like variety, I guess. And you know, it's good to take care of yourself properly." 

"I suppose." 

Guessing she needed to take the bull by the horns, Allie stepped up and scanned the shelves for a place to start. "AH!" she said, snatching up a large brown bottle with a simply printed light blue label. "I think this is what they used to have in your time..." she unscrewed the lid, sniffed and then held it up to his nose. 

Arthur leant in and copied her action, a little smile coming to play at the corner of his lips as the scent of coal tar soap took him back in time. "Yeah, that's familiar to me."

"Okay, that's a start, right?" Allie beamed, screwed the lid back on and tossed it into the cart. "There's so much here, I dunno what you'd like so, just....start smelling stuff, I guess? Pick something you'd like to smell of, the choice is yours." 

Arthur sighed softly, feeling unsure, it all seemed so unnecessary. "Do I really need all this stuff?" 

"Well, you can live without it, but it's nice to feel clean and smell good, right?"

Arthur thought on that for a moment, she wasn't wrong. He always felt renewed after a hot bath and clean clothes. He did so enjoy the way the scent of the soap would linger on his hair for a couple of days afterwards too. It wouldn't be so bad to have that all the time, and he certainly didn't want to smell. Not when every where he'd been and everyone one he'd seen looked so clean, and the woman next to him smelt damn near good enough to eat. 

Determined to make a go of the modern way, he stepped forward, and selected the first bottle in front of him. A dark blue plastic container, in an unusual shape. He pondered the bottle for a moment, quickly figuring out how to flip the cap open and he took a sniff. He recoiled instantly, it smelled like chemicals and tickled the back of his throat. 

"Not nice?"

"No! I don't wanna smell like that." he dismissed, putting the bottle back on the shelf and then scanning the others until another that caught he is eye. The next he picked up was white, with blue letters and some kind of green line pattern on it. He repeated the process, popping the cap and sniffing. "Mmm...that's alright I guess." he nodded. Allie held out her hand to take it from him, sniffing it for herself. 

"Nice. Shall I keep this as a maybe?"

"Yeah, lemme see what else they have..." with that he was off, picking up bottles, reading the labels, popping caps and taking big old sniffs. Before he knew what was going on, he'd chosen a couple he really liked and Allie popped them into the cart. Working his way along the aisle effortlessly, like he'd shopped there many times before, until they reached the section that housed all the men's cologne. 

"What's all this?" he asked reaching out to pick up an item, confused at the way bottles and boxes were locked inside clear glass-like cases. "Jesus! Fifty dollars?" he cried, showing her a bottle of designer scent. "You better be able to drink it!" 

Allie laughed softly, tickled by his sheer horror. "It's cologne and they can be even more expensive than that."

Arthur shook his head in disapproval, putting the case back and frowning at the others for a moment before picking up another that contained a long blue box with a horse and rider on, examining it for a moment before putting it down and picking up another stubby square box in white with a small crocodile on. "I would neither care to smell like a horse nor a gator." he commented making Allie laugh again. 

"That's just the brand logo, they don't actually smell like swamps and stables." 

"I should hope not at sixty-four Goddamn dollars." he shook the case in his hands like an angry toddler, seeing if it would give before he began trying to pry it open with his fingers, annoyed at the very concept of being shut out of smelling a product that was bought on scent alone. "Why would you pay that for somethin' you can't even smell first?"

Allie delicately reached out her hand and placed it tenderly on his thick forearm, before taking the case from his hands and popping it back on the shelf, before he set off a security alarm. Leaving him empty handed and slack jawed at being stopped in his tracks. 

"Back at my place, Henry has about six hundred bottles of cologne, I'm sure you can sniff your way through all that and find a good one before spending a dime." Arthur gave a nod of acceptance and calmed, taking Allie's lead as she lead him across to the opposite side of the aisle and began picking up a few different items. 

"Do you want some stuff for shaving?" she asked him, she selfishly loved the light beard he was sporting, but it was his choice. 

Arthur rubbed his stubbly chin thoughtfully. "I'm good for now...I think..." he then considered Henry, and some of the men he'd passed in the store and at the hospital too, none of them had stubble or facial hair. "...Is it, you know? Okay to have this these days?"

"Yeah. It's fine. A lotta women like the stubbly-bearded look." 

Arthur chewed that for a moment, and couldn't stop himself speaking. "Do you like it?"

Allie's heart flipped; her stomach giving a little quiver at the very idea her opinion on such things mattered to him. "Yeah...I do. Just, you know... don't let it get too 'wild man'," she chuckled shyly, the feel of his soulful eyes searching for reassurance made her tingle in the strangest of ways. "We can get you a trimmer if you like?" she announced, trying to focus her mind, and Arthur's brow furrowed again with confusion. "It's like electric scissors, they do all the hard work for you...Or there's more traditional stuff, like shaving foam and razors, whatever you're comfortable with." 

"Alright." he nodded, stepping closer to where Allie was standing in front of the relevant bits and pieces for male grooming. Looking at the packages that were again locked in clear cases, checking out which one she thought was best before deciding on one and tossing the square silver coloured box, with a picture of some strange contraption on the front, into the cart, then grabbing up a long can of something else and a packet of strange looking sticks. 

"Shaving has come a long way too." she told him, waving the package of fancy razorblades at him.   
He took the pack from her and tilted it left then right, looking at the modern disposable razor inside. It all looked far too complex and unnecessary. Three small blades instead of one, some strange green stripe sitting above them too. 

"I'd feel more comfortable with a straight razor." 

"Well, I don't want you slipping and slitting your throat accidentally. I don't know where I'd begin explaining that away to the police."

Arthur realized she had a point that he couldn't argue with and he tossed the package into the rapidly filling cart, as Allie moved on down the aisle and grabbed yet another thing off a shelf. "Moisturizer."

"Whut?"

"It's like a lotion, for your skin. It stops it from getting dry and helps prevent aging."

Arthur gave a snort of laughter. "Y'all modern folk really do have too much time on your hands."

Allie chuckled and gave a facial shrug. "Can't argue with that, but you don't need to be out killing deer and robbing trains, or chopping wood and tending to horses anymore, so you've got time to take care of yourself now." 

"I ain't sure I'm gonna get into that habit too easy." 

"At least you'll have all you need to try." she smiled. "And with all the frowning you're doing lately, you could use this....Here..." she flipped the cap on the tube of moisturizer and squirted a little onto her palm. Stepping in close to him and without over-thinking it she reached up, pushed his hat back a little on his head and then dabbed some of the cream just under his eyes. 

Arthur froze in place, his body vibrating with the strangest sensation as his eyes followed her gentle fingers. Softly dabbing tiny patches of cold cream onto his forehead, then between his eyes, her finger tips sending a wave of warmth down his neck and filling his chest with comforting yet arousing heat. He knew his instinct should have been to recoil, and ask her what the hell she was doing but he couldn't move, and he didn't want to. He was completely pliant under her touch and he didn't dare question how or why. 

"You rub it in like this." she whispered, carefully stroking the lotion into his skin, struggling to resist the urge to panic and back away as she noted his breathing had turned deep, almost ragged. It almost unnerved her to be touching him in such an intimate way but the warm fuzziness in her gut and the longing look in his eye gave her confidence and spurred her on. "Nice, right?"

Arthur swallowed hard, the glowing shivers that were racing down his back made his head feel woozy. He couldn't recall a time anyone had done such a thing to him; there was something so tender yet so sensual about her touch, he barely knew what to do with himself. Everything in him felt tense and relaxed all at once, his insides buzzing with electrical excitement, heating his up face and neck, turning his throat dry. 

"Yeah." he forced out. His eyes fixing on hers as she watched her hands, their breathing in sync as she stroked the cream into his face so softly, building the nicest of feelings within him for a moment or two, only to disappoint him when she finally drew her hands away and took half a step back to admire her work. 

The way he was looking at her, puppy-eyed and needy yet aroused too, his mouth slightly open as if he wanted to be kissed, set off a panic bomb within her. "It's important to feed your skin," she announced, feeling her face heating up rapidly. "....Especially when you spend time outside. This stuff has sun protection in, so you won't get burned, not that there's much sun out at the moment, but if you get into the habit of using it, it'll save worrying about sunscreen and stuff when the summer comes and-" she stopped short, realizing she was rambling, nerves getting the better of her. She swallowed hard; he was looking at her in the oddest way that made her skin tingle with anticipation, her stomach flipping on a wave of excitable and promising emotions. "Anyway, we'll get some for your hands too." she told him, tossing the moisturizer into the cart and turning away to focus on grabbing another one specifically for Arthur's large paws, drifting down the aisle searching for a little breathing space before her dizzy head took her down, or made her do something entirely foolish. 

Unsure of what was transpiring between them, Arthur stood fixed to the spot in an over stimulated haze, rubbing his hand over his mouth and chin. His heart was beating funny and he felt rattled in the nicest of ways, but he needed to calm himself. The urge to light a cigarette came over him, he pulled his hat back into place properly, and reached into this satchel, taking out his pack of smokes and a book of matches, attempting to light up but not getting too far as Allie came rushing back to him. 

"What are you doing?" she cried. "You can't smoke inside."

"Why not?" 

"There are rules about that now. And smoking is really bad for your health."

"Get outta here." he dismissed with a confident smirk, continuing his attempt to light up, but Allie put her hand on his to stop him. 

"I'm serious, Arthur. You're not allowed to smoke in most places these days."

He tugged the cigarette out of his mouth with his other hand and made a face. "What they gonna do? Arrest me for smokin'?"

"Well, no, but security will probably throw you out."

"If they see me." he gave her a sassy eyebrow and put the cigarette back in and went to strike a match, but Allie's grip tightened on his hand. 

"They will. They've got cameras all over these places, watching shoppers." 

Arthur didn't move his head an inch but his eyes glanced all around looking for any sign he was being watched. 

"Besides that, smoking causes cancer and all kind of nasty shit too, you've just got a clean bill of health..."

Arthur eyes searched her face and saw the worry in her pretty blue eyes; it cut him to the core. "Jesus!" he sighed, taking the cigarette out of his mouth once more. 

"Listen, I get it." she said, stepping off him. "I used to smoke, I still have one or two from time to time now, but it is so bad for you and those old cigarettes are probably a thousand times worse without filters...If you wanna smoke, that's your call, but please throw those old things out and get something that's filtered and low tar." 

Arthur looked at the cigarette in his hand and sighed. "Fine!" he relented, bothered by the doe-eyed look of worry she was giving him, dropping the objects back into his satchel defeated. 

"Thank you." she smiled softly. Wishing she could find the words to explain how worried she was about him getting sick again. He hadn't yet been there for twenty-four hours but the thought of losing him again, for real, turned her stomach cold. 

"I ain't never known anyone give up smokin' before." he remarked. 

"People do it all the time now. There's gum and patches and all kinds of stuff to help you quit, but it takes time and I know this is a stressful situation and I'm not asking that of you. I just want you to be aware that we know smoking is really bad for your health now." 

Arthur scoffed. "Well, being healthy back in my time weren't really a priority. Ya know, with lawmen tryin' to kill me, strugglin' to find food, diseases left and right..." 

"I know, but all that's in the past now. It's time to stop living like a ghost and take proper care of yourself." 

Arthur was taken aback by her comment, recalling what he'd said to Sadie about how they were more ghosts than people. It was unnerving to have her know him so well but there was an almost mystical comfort paired with it that made him oddly grateful. 

"Yeah, I guess you're right, but I like smokin'."

"Like I said, I'm not telling you to quit, that's your choice to make. I'm just asking that you to know there are big risks and try to reduce them a little bit. Don't want you getting sick again."

Part of him felt as if he should have been stifled by her protectiveness, that he should have pushed back and told her to mind her business, but the truth was, he liked her concern. He hadn't experienced someone showing so much worry for his health and welfare before, and it felt strange. Like it had the ability to become oppressive, but oddly it didn't. Just knowing another person was looking out for him in such ways already seemed to lighten the constant lingering pressure on his shoulders, and gave him a sense of security that he couldn't recall experiencing before. He knew he had to take her advice, as after all she'd given him a second shot at life, and he didn't want to blow it by getting ill or messing things up in new ways. 

"All right." he nodded and she gave him a reassured smile. 

"So what's all this?" he asked nodding over to the shelves, hoping to smooth over any awkwardness that was bubbling up between them. He was certain he'd never seen so many white boxed products in his life. He wasn't even sure how she could know what they were all for, it seemed like more information that anyone could want or need. 

"Dental care. Toothbrushes." she said as she picked up a couple of packages and waved it at him. "Toothpaste." Passing both items to him to look at, before taking a few steps away to where rows of various coloured bottles were laid out. "Mouthwash....and dental floss." She turned back to see Arthur was standing there his mouth hanging slightly open again in bewilderment at how she was tossing things into the cart so freely. "It's important to take care of your mouth and teeth. Dentistry has come a long way too, but it can still hurt like hell to get a bad tooth and treatment isn't fun." 

"I got good teeth." he insisted, tapping his finger on his front gnashers. He'd witnessed some of his friends at camp go through hell with a toothache more than enough times to have said many prayers of thanks for not having to endure such torture. 

"Well this'll keep them that way." she told, taking the toothbrush and paste from him and tossing them into the cart before pushing off again. 

"Surely I ain't gon' need all this..." he said walking besides her, looking into the cart which was loaded with more than a dozen different body care items. With the list of bits and pieces he'd need that Allie had reeled off to being with still echoing through his head; he felt sure they'd need a second cart before much longer. 

"We haven't even hit hair care yet." she scoffed and rounded the end of the aisle. "And all this is just the stuff modern people use now!" 

Arthur sighed, feeling not so eager to explore modern ways if it meant fussing and preening like some prized exotic bird. "Well how am I gonna pay for all this? Do y'all even use the same money? They accept gold bars here?" 

"Don't worry about that, this stuff's on me." 

Arthur came to a stop with a grimace. "Aw no. I don't want you payin' my way."

Allie stopped too and turned to him, standing up a little straighter, ready to defend her position "Listen, like I said earlier, it's my fault you're here so I want to get you the things you need." Arthur's stern look held firm. "Please don't argue with me over it." 

His eyes softened, feeling a little disarmed by her apparently strength and resolve, but he wasn't quite rolling over. "I ain't happy about it."

"I don't care." she gave a smug but playful smile. "It's what's happening! Now stop holding up this shopping spree with technicalities." With that she waved him off and took to the cart again, pushing it on to the next aisle and ending the dispute. 

Arthur stayed where he was and chuckled to himself. Casting his eyes downward; considering how she stood up to him for a moment. He liked that she was strong enough to stand her ground, and he sure felt lucky to have fallen in with someone as generous as her, but he didn't like the idea of her paying for things. However, something told him he'd be beating his head against a wall to continue arguing, she seemed as stubborn as he could be. Instead, he made a silent promise to himself that if she wouldn't relent later, he'd find another way to pay her back for everything he'd need to start his journey as a modern man. 

After grabbing a few more toiletries, they headed on in to the men's clothing section. The winter season was still on display, lots of plaid and dark colours that she hoped would appeal to Arthur enough to find him at least a couple of outfits. She lead him down the aisle where jeans were folded up in neat little stacks, while other, more expensive, pairs hung on hangers on racks. Together they began poking around in the displays, as Arthur got a feel for the place and what modern fashion looked like. 

"Is it true that....Never mind." Allie shied away, turning to another rack of clothes in the hopes Arthur didn't hear her. 

He had, and he looked up from feeling the fabric of some jeans and frowned at her curiously. "Whut?" 

She bit her bottom lip momentarily, searching for an alternative to give him but before she could stop herself she was turning back to face him and her mouth was running away with her. "They say that cowboys go commando..." The blank look on Arthur's face told her she needed to elaborate. "You know...like....you don't wear anything under your jeans or whatever....like..." she rocked her head from side to side and gestured like she was struggling for the right words. 

"Like drawers you mean?" he returned bluntly. 

"Yeah. But we call all that underwear now." 

"Ah!" he nodded. "Well, in the summer no, we don't wear nothin', it's too hot." 

"Fair enough." Allie forced out, feeling flushed at the very idea he was walking around in that very moment, butt naked beneath his dark jeans - it had been early summer in the game after all. 

"Let me guess, that ain't acceptable in this world?"

"Well....you can go around bare assed under your pants if you want to, but most people wear something underneath. Boxer shorts or like, tightie-whities."

"I don't think I even want to know what that is."

Allie laughed. "I think you'd be a boxer brief's kinda guy anyw-" she stopped short, rolling her eyes up as if to ask the higher powers why she kept speaking before thinking. "I can't believe I just said that." She glanced to Arthur who seemed completely clueless, and figured it was better to jump on his naivety. "You stay here a sec, see if you can find some shirts you wanna wear. I'll be back."

With that she took off to the men's underwear section, she felt like she had it in her to pick him out some generic underwear to tide him over by herself, but she wasn't sure she could cope with the embarrassment of going through that department with him face-to-face. All the half mannequins of men's hips, thighs and everything in between were enough to make things uncomfortable for them both. 

She felt familiar enough with men's underwear, through living with Henry, having brothers and previously relationships, to make a choice for him. After all, there wasn't a huge range of options in colours and patterns but she scanned the shelves quickly, pulling out a couple of packs of black and grey boxer briefs. She wasn't sure on sizes, but from what she'd seen, he wasn't a small man in any area. 

Hoping she was doing the right thing by him, she picked a couple of packs of different sizes, trying not to wonder too much about his narrow hips. Telling herself she could return anything that didn't fit right and spare them both an in-store discussion about anything below the waist. She also grabbed the same in regular boxers and briefs too, hoping to give him a choice without having to see him make it herself. Knowing it would probably be painfully awkward for both of them to discuss private matters so early into their friendship. 

"Should have bought the cart." she sighed, doing her best to juggle to clear plastic packages in her arms, as she moved on to grab some undershirts and a couple of packs of plain grey and blue plaid pyjama pants too. Once satisfied she had everything he'd need, she waddled back completely overlade to where she'd left Arthur, trying her best to keep everything together in her arms and tucked tight under her chin. 

"What the hell?" he laughed catching sight of her, rushing to help take some of the load off of the top and tossing it into the cart. 

"Underwear...and things to sleep in." she told him, hovering the load over the cart before unlocking her arms and letting it all fall in. 

"Christ alive! We're gonna need a big wagon to get all this back." 

Allie laughed. "Don't worry, we can pack a lot in my car...." she swept her hair back over her head and out of her face and took a breath. "So, you find anything you like?"

"I guess." he nodded. "I like these..." he took a few steps back to where he'd been and gestured to a couple of chambray shirts, in various shades of blue, grey and white. 

"I do too. They'll suit you." Allie nodded. "You know what size you are?"

"Not in today's money." 

"I don't think they do a measuring service." she pondered. "Here..." she stepped up to the rack of shirts and searched towards the back until she found a large shirt. "Turn around." 

She recalled what her mother would do to her and her brothers whenever they went shopping for new school clothes and refused to try anything on first. Arthur did as he was told showing his back to her, wondering what was going on as he held in place. She was tall enough to be staring directly at the base of his skull, but still she got up on her tip toes to get a better view and pulled the shirt across Arthur's back, seeing if the seams matched up with his shoulders beneath his tan jacket. 

"I think that'll fit...but try a size bigger too, just in case." She handed the shirt to him as he turned back and grabbed another in the next size up. "Let's get you some jeans as well, try 'em all on, figure out what size fits best, then we can get really get shopping."

Arthur eyed her with amusement. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

"What?" she laughed. "Women be shoppin'!" He chuckled, his chest feeling a strange kind of unfamiliar, yet comforting, warmth from her smile and personal pleasure, but he still wasn't sold on spending so much money and she could tell. "Indulge me." she said sweetly and Arthur blew out a sigh. 

"Alright!" he relented, following her lead on the path to becoming a member of the twenty-first century. 

Almost an hour later, Arthur had found his ideal sizes for both shirts and jeans and was happy with having stocked up on enough clothing to see him through another hundred and twenty years. Allie had tried her hardest not to think of him getting undressed in the changing rooms and while he tried things on she'd busied herself a good distance away to avoid any temptation to snoop through the curtain. 

Together they had gathered a good selection of clothes, having found he was fairly familiar with the styles that were on offer. He'd chosen a number of Henley shirts that he noted were much like Union shirts, then he'd picked out a few casual button downs and got himself a good selection of jeans too, in darker blues and blacks. Some new boots that were similar to the ones he already wore were chosen and his size discovered, and he'd grabbed a shorter pair of lace up work boots that fit more with modern styles for good measure. Along with a couple of packs of socks and a set of belts too he was fully kitted out. 

Allie had also insisted he get a better jacket, something warmer as the winter was far from over. He'd been drawn to picking out a couple of thick plaid over-shirts, a Sherpa lined shirt jacket too, that they guessed would be enough to keep the cold out and prevent them from having to come back too soon. She made certain he got everything he seemed to take a shine too, and he tried to argue repeatedly, saying he didn't need so much but she wouldn't hear of it. Stuffing everything into the shopping cart and moving onto the next section before he could protest further. 

Satisfied they had most everything he'd ever need to become a modern man, Allie lead Arthur towards the end of the store via the food section. He was further amazed by so much colour and variety. Fancy, shiny packaging calling out to take his attention, but his eyes were growing tired of the constant bombardment and Allie sensed so much assaulting his senses was taking its toll on him. 

"It's Henry's turn to buy groceries this week, so we won't go nuts, but if you see something you wanna try grab it and throw it in." However, Arthur was too unsure about just what any of the things looking at him were to act on her word. Nothing seemed familiar, candy alone had a thousand more varieties than he could ever call being on offer in his time. 

Allie grabbed some bags of more traditional sweet treats and a bunch of savoury snacks, tossing them all in the cart. She pointed out the jerky to Arthur and made sure to grab a couple of packs for something familiar to him. They rounded the end of the aisle into the alcohol section and Arthur's jaw fell open. 

"Shit!" he cried out. "This all booze?"

"Yep! Like I said, we like variety in this world."

"Goddamn!" Arthur gawped. "I know a few people who would think this was heaven itself." 

Allie laughed. "Well, you got the rest of your life here to try everything they got." 

"I wouldn't know where to start." Arthur's eyes ran up and down the shelves, all the coloured bottles of different shapes and sizes, it was more than he could have dreamt up in his wildest dreams. However, he was pulled from being awestruck when he noticed Allie was crouched down nearby, tugging a box of beer bottles from the low shelf and he hurried over and quickly stepped in. "Here, let me."

"I got it!" Allie insisted, raising up with the large box in her arms but Arthur wouldn't hear of it and took it from her effortlessly, carrying it to the cart balancing it in the small folding seat near the handlebar. "Thanks." she smiled, thinking how nice to was to have someone offer to help, even if it did go against her independent instincts. "Is there anything else you wanna get? 'Cause I think we're about done here." The cart was becoming hard to push, with the weight of Arthur's new life inside. 

"I got more than I could ever need." he said softly, he was grateful to her but he'd felt like he had far too much already. 

"Alright, let's go pay!" Allie made a start, pushing at the heavy cart, as Arthur tucked his hand into his satchel and pulled out a gold bar, forcing Allie to stop dead in her tracks as her eyes bulged out of her head. 

"Will this cover it, you think?"

"Jesus Christ!" she yelped, rushing in to guard the line of sight from the nearby fellow customers. "Put that away." 

"Why? You need to take it. I ain't lettin' you pay my way." 

She'd already told him not to worry about it, but the more things they put in the cart the more he couldn't stand the idea of her paying for so much. It wasn't his nature to let someone else cover his costs and he was a born provider. The idea of having someone else buying him things seemed as alien as the world he'd found himself in. 

"I told you, I'm buying. I don't want it." she refused, taking half a step back so he couldn't force it on her any further, but he mirrored her, moving into her again almost backing her up to the shelving blocking her exits. 

"Take it!"

"NO!" she cried a little too loudly, making a middle aged woman a little further down the aisle turn look up from reading wine labels to eyeball them suspiciously. 

Arthur adjusted his stance to block the woman's view and grabbed Allie's wrist gently. Pulling her arm to him and forcing the gold bar into her hand, his eyes stern as he wrapped her fingers around the cold metal and held her closed hand firm. "Now you listen to me," his voice was far lower than default, raspy and bordering on aggressive. "This ain't a discussion. You will take this because I ain't havin'-" 

Suddenly she yanked her hand out of his and pushed the gold bar into his chest and let go for him to catch it. "Don't you use your big tough outlaw voice with me!" she snapped, widening her stance defensively as if she was squaring up to him. 

Arthur's mouth formed a firm line and his brow narrowed confrontationally as he starred her down, but the look of bitter determination on her face suddenly filled him with the urge to laugh. There was something charming about how fired up she was. The fact she was a little mad at him, standing ready like she was about to throw down if he didn't back off, appealed to a deeply hidden side of himself. Arousing desires that he'd avoided for years, while softening him up to her at the same time. 

Slowly his demeanour shifted and he dipped his head, reaching his hand up to scratch the back of his neck that was feeling a little too warm under her resolute and alluring stare. 

He cast his eyes to her, head slightly cocked as he scratched. "My big tough outlaw voice?"

"Yeah....That whole..." she cleared her throat, tucked her chin in a little, creasing her brow before deepening her voice to mimic him, southern drawl and all. "Now you listen to me, this ain't a discussion, you will take this 'cause-" she stopped short when Arthur started laughing heartily. 

"I do not sound like that." 

"Yeah you do. When you're trying to be tough and break people down. It ain't gonna work with me. I know you." 

Something shifted over his amusement and his expression darkened defensively. "What'd you mean, _you know me?_ "

"You ain't so tough. You're a big soft cowboy first, before you're big mean outlaw." 

Feeling oddly affronted, Arthur narrowed his eyes again, concerned by her blatant disregard for the gruff demeanour he'd cultivated for years. "Lady, I don't know what you think you know about me..."

"I know plenty, Arthur Morgan." she returned firmly. "I've seen who you are."

He dropped his stare, feeling completely disarmed by the way she'd stood up to him. He thought of Susan, Sadie, Abigail too and how at times they'd all stood firm and seen through his defences. He began to wonder if that had helped show Allie who he was beneath the mask he'd kept glued to his face for so long. 

Try as he might, he couldn't find it in him to be mad any longer, a malnourished part of himself was already gorging itself on the thought of being understood by someone like her. 

"I'm not messin' around..." he said, his tone softer, his conscience refusing to give up easily. "I want you to take this, you don't need to be buyin' me things."

"I don't want it." she told him flatly. "Like I said, it's my fault you're here and this is my way of trying to make it right, let me have that." Arthur struggled to relent, but he didn't want to push the subject anymore at that moment, at least not in public. "Besides which way," she continued. "I wouldn't have the first clue what to do with that. It's probably worth a damn fortune, way more than this stuff'll cost....and I don't even know how you turn them into cash here." 

Arthur's expression turned worried again and he opened his satchel looking inside for a moment before looking back at her. "Well, we're gonna need to find out, 'cause I got quite a few in here. I dunno where they all came from." 

Allie's eyes lit up and she burst out laughing; she'd sure made a meal out of wishing him into reality. "It's the glitch."

"Glitch?"

"In the game, there was like a cheat....a way to get a lot of gold bars, in that sheriff's office in Limpany?" she waited for his nod before continuing. "I did it because I wanted money to buy you new clothes in the game." 

Arthur scoffed. "Now maybe that explains why I kept having that weird feelin'...whadda they call it...day-somethin'?" he raised his hands and wiggled his fingers as if trying to grab something from the air. 

"Déjà vu?"

He clicked his fingers and pointed at he. "That's it!" 

"This just keeps getting crazier." she sniggered. "But at least I won't have to worry about finding you a job to earn ya keep." she teased. 

"I like working."

She smiled at him tenderly, despite not wanting his money she did understand his innate desire to be self sufficient and provide as best he could. "I know, but after what you went through...it's time to relax, at least for a while." 

"I guess so." They held each other's eyes for a moment or two, a sense of connection settling on them, watering the seeds of a friendship and encouraging roots to bed in. "But I don't like you spendin' money on me..."

"And I told you, I don't care." she smiled boldly. 

It was becoming hard to keep fighting against her determination, she certainly seemed like a force to be reckoned with and he did love strong women. "Well I'mma keep a ledger, and pay you back."

Allie sighed and rolled her eyes. "If it makes you feel better, fine." They stared at each other defiantly for a moment more before their eyes softened into a shared, amused, smile. A beat or two passing as things calmed between them and their developing bond solidified. "Anyway, we should find you a lock box before we go." Allie was grateful of the distraction, the way he was looking at her made her skin flush with heat. "You're gonna need a safe place to keep all that, and your gun too."

"Good idea." Arthur nodded. 

"Alright, well c'mon then, money bags!" Allie joked, slipping out of the potentially awkward moment. "I bet with all that gold you could knock Donald Trump down the rich list."

"Who?"

"Oh God." she groaned. "Now I really don't know where to start on that one."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! All thoughts, comments, suggestions are welcome, I love hearing from you guys! :)


	9. Settling In

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, I'm so terribly sorry about leaving you all hanging for updates. I got super sick over Easter, and I'd just recovered only to go and get even more sick with what I thought was the flu, but turned out to be friggin' pneumonia (in May!!! I ask you!!) so I wound up in hospital for a while, and for someone who usually gets sick with a minor cold once a year -at worst- this has all really knocked me on my ass.
> 
> So now I'm on the mend I'm trying hard to catch up on everything illness forced me to neglect. One of the main things that got me through being ill for so long was thinking of the stories I'm writing and ways to expand the plot, so fear not, if you're still reading, I'm still writing! :) Anyway, enough yappin' from me, I know you're just here for the Arthur goodness haha! 
> 
> Thank you again to everyone who left shows of love and support on the last chapter, you guys give me life! :)
> 
> Oh....and as I always do when I'm writing a story, I made a floorplan for my main location. If you're interested, this is how I envision [**Allie’s house**.](https://poorlonesomecowboah.tumblr.com/post/183599866319)

An hour or so after defeating the Walmart beast, Allie and Arthur were back at her aunt's house and a good way along setting Arthur up in the modern world. They had successfully set the small safe at the very back of the closet in the guest room, and filled it full of Arthur's many gold bars and weapons, before loading in all his new clothes to hide the treasure trove as best they could. 

Both the closet and dresser in the guest room seemed to be bursting with all they'd bought home, which filled Allie with contentment, despite the fact Arthur made another point of showing his dissatisfaction with it all again. Reminding her how he didn't need so much and how he didn't like her paying for things, but of course, she wouldn't hear of it. 

Content all was securely tucked away, Allie suggested they make a start on learning how to use the features in the bathroom and Arthur accepted. Even though he was used to feeling the rind of the frontier coating his skin, he was already beginning to assume that he needed to get clean to truly fit in with the modern world. 

"So....I turn this here?" Arthur pointed to the big silver dial in the wall, hoping he'd picked up Allie's instructions correctly. "And the water comes out....and then I turn this one here, to make it hot or cold?"

"That's right. You got it!"

"Who's boiling the water?"

Allie chuckled softly, endeared by his lack of understanding and the bemused look on his handsome face, which was becoming a permanent fixture. "No one. It's all done in a tank in the attic, it comes through the pipes already hot." Arthur made another face, which implied he didn't quite believe her. "Trust me, it's the best thing about the modern world. Hot showers are better than sex sometimes."

Arthur's eyes widened in surprise, his mouth suddenly going dry as Allie blushed and swallowed hard. "Erm...I...I....Y-You," she stammered in panic, the heat of Arthur's gaze making her flush with the strangest of feelings for a moment, before pulling herself together. "You just stand under this thing..." she pushed the glass shower screen back a little more to reach in past him, and pointed up to the large rainfall showerhead. Hoping giving him somewhere else to look would save her. "...The water will rain down on you, but if you wanna concentrate it to one area, like you're back, or under your arms, unhook this thing at the side..." she reached in and lifted the secondary slim chrome showerhead from its holder on the wall. "And slide the button up....water will come out there too. Just slide it back when you're done with it. And that's it...."

"Seems a lot more complicated than a bath." Arthur mused, watching as she stepped out of the cubical, putting some space between them. 

"Maybe in some respects, but how the hell you managed to fill a bath and then empty it without so much as a faucet or a plughole boggles my mind." she insisted, busying herself arranging Arthur's toiletries on the sink counter as he stepped back out of the shower cubical, bringing his lesson to an end. 

"....I've put some clean towels on the rack there..." she gestured to the chrome heated towel rail that ran along the wall under the windowsill and then turned to the bottles she'd just lined up neatly as Arthur stepped closer to her. "I'm sure you know all this but..." she pointed to one of the dark coloured bottles "Shampoo. Lather, rinse, repeat. Same with the liquid soap, so you know, _go nuts_." she chuckled awkwardly, trying her best not to imagine Arthur naked, wet and slippery, as she struggled to forgive herself for clumsily mentioning sex so bluntly. 

"....Then, once you're dry, you stick some of this under your arms..." she pointed to the roll on antiperspirant stick. "....And spray some of that if you want too..." she pointed to the can of deodorant he'd chosen. "There's a bunch of colognes in that cabinet there too..." she hooked her thumb over her shoulder to the mirror fronted closet set into the wall space between the shower cubical and bath tub. "Henry won't mind if you help yourself, but I'm sure your nose is numb from all the sniffing at the store, so maybe save that for another day if you want to, it's up to you. I'm sure you can figure all this out." she winced, hating how she was starting to ramble awkwardly again. 

"I guess so." he nodded, feeling strangely eager to make a start on using all the fancy lotions they'd gathered in, even if he wasn't entirely certain of all their purposes. 

"Well, I'll leave you to it then." she said chirpily, disguising her nerves under cheerfulness. "If you.... _ya know_..." her instinct was to say _'if you need any help'_ but she didn't want to give him the wrong idea, although the very concept of helping him out in the shower made her knees lose stability and set a glitter bomb off in her gut. "If you get stuck or confused, just holler...I'll just be in my room."

"Okay, thanks....I think I'll be alright." 

"You're gonna love it." Allie smiled enthusiastically and with that she exited the bathroom swiftly, leaving Arthur alone to look around the bathroom. 

Giving a soft sigh as he considered how daily bathing and preening would be a big part of his new life. He guessed it wouldn't be so bad if a shower was as good as Allie claimed, and he did so love the feeling of leaving the bath house with clean skin and fresh clothes on his back. 

"Alright, Morgan....let's do this." With that he began to unbutton his dirty blue shirt, taking down his suspenders and pulling off his boots. Stripping down to nothing and carefully folding his clothes before picking up a bottle of shampoo and randomly choosing one of the three body washes he'd picked out. He grabbed the light blue sponge Allie had unwrapped and headed straight inside the shower enclosure to get started. 

He set everything he was carrying down on the on the built-in shelf, and repeated the instructions she'd given him. Stepping up to the far wall and twisting the dial, turning on the shower and getting a terrible shock when the cold water suddenly gushed out over him. Splattering all over his head and running icily down his body. 

"SHIT!" he hollered, dodging the flow by springing back against the tiled wall, only to be shocked again by the coldness he felt there against his ass and shoulders. "ARGH!" he hissed out, darting back into the rear of the shower enclosure where it was safest. Eyes darting around as he tried to keep his distance from all the discomfort surrounding him. Struggling in his panic to remember exactly what he needed to do to make the freezing water turn warm. 

"Goddamnit!" he groaned, trying to recall the instructions he'd been given. "Better than a bath, my ass!" 

Grumpily he stepped forward with caution, wincing as he reached awkwardly through the flow of chilly water, trying to keep it off his body, as he began to fiddle with the dials. He felt like he was back cracking a safe all over again, turning the dials this way and that hoping for the click of success, until eventually the water seemed to grow warmer.

Once he was confident that the hot water was going to stay that way, he cautiously stepped directly under the overhead flow, and let the water rain down on him properly for the first time. Immediately his eyes rolled back in his head and he smiled to himself contentedly, losing himself in the wonderful new sensations. 

He took it back; she wasn't wrong. _It felt amazing!_ Ten times better than any bath he'd ever taken. He felt as if he was stood outside in a summer downpour, big fat, warm raindrops falling down on him, only this time it came without the discomfort of wet clothing afterwards. 

Within moments he felt all the tension in his shoulders melting away and draining off him with the water spray. The dirt of his past vanishing down the drain and leaving him feeling renewed and cleansed of his past sins. 

Hungry for more, he turned the dial again just a little, to heat up the water further. Smiling to himself as he realized he was going to have to be lasso'd and dragged out of there, since he couldn't see himself ever leaving voluntarily. It felt like he'd found heaven itself. 

In her room, having showered herself as quickly as she could, Allie sat at the end of her bed, a towel wrapped around her body and one containing her wild dark hair. In her hand she held the necklace that started the craziness she was in the middle of. 

As she watched the pretty colours swirl inside the gemstone she felt a strange sense of fear. She'd tried hard not to consider it all day, but being alone and finally able to decompress had her feeling nervous. The power the pendant seemed to hold was scary, unnatural and potentially dangerous too. Not something she should be wearing around her neck so freely. 

Deciding it was for the best to be rid of it, before she could mistakenly make another life changing wish, she placed the necklace down on her duvet and got up from the bed. Hurrying over to her fitted closet and pulling open the doors to peer inside. She stood up on her tiptoes to reach the top shelf, kicking herself for stuffing the security lockbox right at the very back where she could barely reach it. 

After a couple of minutes of struggling, adjusting her stance, stretching to almost painful degrees, while wrestling to keep her towel on, her fingers gained purchase on the box. Allowing her to ease it out just enough to get a proper full-handed grasp on it. 

It was much heavier than she remembered, yet she took it down and carried it back to her bed without a problem. Placing it down besides the necklace, and nibbling on her lip in thought. She could barely recall the code for the lock, but set to work dialling in her first thought, which did nothing. With a frown, she swapped the second number and tried again. "Ah!" she said to herself as the lock clicked open. 

She lifted the lid and tried her best not to acknowledge the photographs within looking back at her. An image of her old life captured forever to provoke painful memories. A life she'd tried to forget since moving upstate, away from the city and all her troubles. 

Her eyes tugged her focused to the handgun that lay besides the picture, a full clip tucked beside it. She didn't know why she kept the damn thing. At first knowing she had protection had helped her sleep at night, but after a few weeks upstate she couldn't stand to think of it and had locked it away, along with all physical memories of her past life and the person she used to be. 

She guessed there wasn't likely to be a safer place for the necklace; somewhere to keep it safe that would allow her to forget about it as best she could too. After all, it was as potentially dangerous as the gun. 

Refusing to over think it, she grabbed the necklace and placed it inside; shutting the lid firmly and resolutely. Quickly rubbing her thumb over the lock's dial to jumble the code again, and not wasting a second in putting her black box of trouble back in the closet. Pushing it to the very back of the top shelf as best she could, using an empty suitcase to shove it further in before covering everything over with blankets and drawing a hatbox over to sit at the front. Finding confidence that no-one would accidentally stumble across the box, and that she would have to work at it if temptation to use the necklace ever got the better of her. 

Eager to distract her thoughts from all she could wish for, she set her focus to choosing an outfit. Picking out a pair of black leggings, and a white tank top, which she hoped would see her through the rest of the day at home with Arthur. 

Not wanting to stray too far from where he might need her, Allie dried herself and dressed quickly, opening her bedroom door a little before taking her place in the middle of her bed. Sitting legs folded in the lotus position as her hair dried into its natural curls. Not one to enjoy sitting doing absolute nothing, she reached out to her nightstand and pulled out a notepad and pen. Found a fresh page and got to work on noting down a few ideas of what to help Arthur with to bring him up to speed on the new world she'd dragged him into. 

Top of the list was figuring out how to go about getting him some kind of identification. She knew how ugly things could get if a person was found without any way to identify themselves, and she couldn't stand the thought of losing him, or having to clip his wings to avoid any kind of potential trouble. She wanted nothing more for him than to be safe and free in ways he hadn't been before. 

Next, she noted down things he needed to learn, like how to use a cell phone and the internet. Although she guessed it was better if she left the latter for later down the line. She didn't want to risk confusing him even more or having him hurt by finding out what happened to John and Dutch in the first game. She wanted him to be happy and comfortable in his new environment before she broached any of that, unable to stand the idea of him being any more muddled or hurt than he already was. 

She then turned the page of her notepad and made another list of food and drink that he should try at least once, different foreign cuisines, as well as modern American classics. After she was satisfied she had jotted down all she could think of, she started on a list of movies she thought he should see. Westerns at first to ease him into celluloid storytelling, then some sports movies that every guy she'd ever met loved, then gangster movies, action adventures, and comedies, all the classics she could easily bring to mind. Feeling herself getting excited at the idea of showing him so much that he might enjoy. 

Brimming with wonders she eagerly wanted to share with him, she then began to write down a list of bands and musical artists she thought would speak to him, and decided she'd find the time to put playlists or six together for him to enjoy too. Knowing that the wealth of music available would add so much richness to his life. 

There were so many things she wanted to share with him; so much she felt he'd get a kick out of. So many adventures and experiences she wanted to help him have in the hopes of filling his life with happiness and positivity. 

She flipped over the page and started yet another list, coming up with places she could take him to show him how the world had evolved. Museums, that would educate and entertain him. New Orleans, to see how it compared to Saint Dennis. A theme park, maybe even Disney Land if he took a shine to cartoons. There was so much to show him and she was so very excited by it all and the chance she had to help him build the life he deserved. 

Swept away with making some kind of loose plan for acclimatizing Arthur to the modern world, she lost track of time, but eventually her inspiration ran out and thoughtfully she looked around her room waiting for more ideas to flood into her brain, she instead she caught a glimpse of the clock on her nightstand. 

Her eyebrows raised in surprise - it was getting on for five in the afternoon and she hadn't heard anything from Arthur. 

Troubled by the time that had passed, she held her breath and tuned in her ears to pick up sounds from behind the shared wall between her bedroom and the main bathroom. She could just about make out the sound of the shower, letting her know it was still running, but that meant Arthur had been in there for almost an hour. 

An alarming thought popped into her head, warning her that perhaps he'd vanished, and her stomach turned cold. Quickly she unfolded herself off the bed and headed out of her room, making her way along the corridor and round to the bathroom door again. She hesitated before knocking, afraid to consider maybe he really wasn't in there anymore and had disappeared on her somehow. Worse still, she worried for a minute if he was still in there, would her knocking would remind him of the bathhouse girls in the game? 

The familiar heat he evoked rolled through her again but she pushed back against it. Trying her best not to think of how content he always looked in the hot bath, with a pretty girl washing him down. 

Nervously, she took a deep breath and knocked firmly. "Are you okay in there?"

"Yeah!" his gruff voice called back muffled behind the door, filling her with hope and relief. "Yeah! I'm fine! Do I need to get out?"

"No," she chuckled happily, so relieved to hear his voice. "Stay in as long as you want. Enjoy it!"

"Alright...will do!"

"I'll be downstairs if you need me." With that Allie went on her way, reassured he was content in his bathroom experience, she headed down to round up her tablet computer and some old books in the hopes of bringing him somewhat up to speed on the hundred odd years he'd missed out on. 

She knew there were plenty of educational materials stored away in the garage, and she hoped rooting around in boxes would be the perfect distraction from the glorious mental image of Arthur wandering around upstairs, with only a towel around his waist to protect his modesty. 

After another five minutes of basking under the magical stream of hot water, and having scrubbed every part of himself at least three times, Arthur finally turned shut the shower off. He felt cleaner than he could ever remember feeling. There was no hot bath, sun-warmed lake, or hot spring that could compare to the feeling of a power shower stripping every trace of dirt from his skin. It was an almost religious experience, but with the cleaning all done he was left with another strange task. 

Allie had neatly set out all the things they'd bought from the store earlier that day, including a brand new outfit hanging on the back of the door, complete with underwear, socks and a neatly rolled belt waiting on the counter besides the row of toiletries. Everything was there waiting for him to use, from roll-on deodorant sticks to hand creams, even though Arthur still couldn't buy into the point of it all. 

Guessing he needed to give modern ways a try, he grabbed a towel from the heated rack and wrapped it around his waist, then took another for around his shoulders. Enjoying the warmth and fluffiness for a moment, before rubbing his chin thoughtfully, looking at all the items sitting in a row like beer bottles for target practice. 

The glinting silver writing on the pack of toothpaste drew his attention first and he stepped forward to pick it up. Looking over the writing and the limited instructions that had a drawing of some faceless person using a small slim brush to rub their teeth. 

He knew well enough about the tools to clean teeth in his time, despite rarely ever using them. The gritty powder and horsehair fibres had never appealed to him much, but it meant he figured the modern equivalent out easily enough. Knowing what he needed to do and set about cracking open the box and squeezing some paste out of the tube onto the brush and got to work straight away. 

Sticking the brush into his mouth his eyes instantly widened as the strong mint hit his tongue. He screwed up his face, removed the brush and smacked his lips together. He wasn't certain he liked the sensation from the paste, but it sure beat what he recalled of the powered he'd tried once, so long ago. 

Determined to stick with a modern hygiene regime he set to scrubbing away, cleaning his molars first before bearing his teeth at his reflection in the mirror as he powered the brush up and down filling his mouth with more and more white foam. He spat into the sink and turned up his nose, it didn't seem like a pleasant activity but his mouth felt amazing already. Tingly fresh and clean, just as his body felt. 

He turned on the tap and cupped some water in his hand, swilling it around his mouth before spitting again and wiping his face with the towel around his shoulders. "Hmmm...ain't so bad." he mumbled, running his tongue over his teeth and feeling how smooth everything felt. He pulled up his top lip and leaned into the mirror over the counter, checking everything looked good before rinsing out the brush and setting it to one side. 

"Okay, what's next?" he looked over the objects awaiting his attention and chose the medium sized box set behind the row of lotions and potions. A square silver box that he recalled had been housed in a clear container in the store. "Philips....Facial Hair....Trimmer." he read aloud to himself. "With bonus nose clippers?....How is that a bonus?" 

Frowning to himself, he quickly he set to opening the box and pulling out all the items tucked inside. First he found a small black box with prongs on the end, stuck to a skinny cable some kind, next out was a booklet which he guessed told him what to do, and then three little cylinder things taped together. He dipped his hand in again and drew out a clear pack of black comb like attachments, a large cotton pouch and then two silver contraptions one chunky and the other slim like a fountain pen. 

Setting it all on the counter he huffed to himself, unable to believe so much had been crammed into the box. He considered all the pieces for a moment or too, utterly confused by it all, until he suddenly recognized a similar button to the one on the shower head. He picked up the smallest of the silver contraptions and slid the black ridge on the front up, expecting something to happen but nothing did. 

"Well this is great." he grumbled, putting it back down and considering shouting for Allie's help, but he didn't want to bother her, at least not until he'd tried his best to figure things out for himself. 

Turning to the pamphlet he flicked through a couple of pages that seemed like no use, mumbling to himself again once he found the illustrated instructions, reading through them, piecing together a clue about what to do. 

"Ah....these fellers!" he said out loud, snatching up the batteries and setting about following the pictures to remove the back panel of the trimmer and insert them accordingly. Sure enough, sliding the button a second time bought the nostril trimmer to life with a vibrating fervour. 

The disturbed look on his face held no control over his own curiosity, and guessing the small silver nozzle was to go up his nose he drew it to his face without hesitation. "Here goes nothin'!" he told himself, flaring his nostrils and poking it up his nose. He flinched at the buzzing tickling his nose, causing him to yank it out again, as a sneeze crept up on him. His nose began to twitch and his breath hiccupped in the back of his throat for a moment or two until a loud sneeze burst out of him. 

"Jesus!" he cried, dropping the trimmer on the side. "Givin' that miss." he laughed and wiped at his face, deciding it was probably for the best to avoid going at his facial features with electrical items so early into his modern experience. 

Instead he began with the beauty products, reading the backs of packs before carrying out the limited instructions they offered. It seemed everyone in the world knew instinctively what each thing was supposed to, or perhaps there was a class given to modern citizens, he didn't know, but nothing would have surprised him. 

Recalling what Allie said about each item, as best he could, he rubbed deodorant stick under his arms, then sprayed a can of it across his chest and down his back like the instructions suggested, flinching at the unpleasantly cold blast. 

Once that was done, he tried applying the moisturizer Allie had used on him, making strange faces in the mirror as he dabbed it on the areas of skin that weren't hidden by his heavy stubble. Patting it in softly just as she'd shown him, trying hard not to think about how good it had felt for her to be tending to him in such a caring way. 

Once he'd used everything that had been laid out he stepped back from the mirror and looked at himself. The way his wet hair was slicked back and how the bright white towels reflected the daylight so vibrantly -bringing out the aqua blues in his eyes- made him look as much of a new man as he felt inside, and he felt good, _really good_. Clean and healthy and energized. Better than he could recall feeling before and he had to admit the modern world sure seemed to have its fair share of perks. 

The only curiosity left for the bathroom was to investigate the expensive liquids that Henry allegedly kept in the cabinet. Arthur headed over to the far side of the room and opened up the closet doors, eyes widening to see how many different bottles there were inside. All, sizes, shapes and colours. Some with names branded across them boldly, others with more subtle labelling embossed into the glass. 

"There's gotta be three thousand dollars worth of this shit." he said to himself, reaching out to select a gold coloured bottle, wondering if it was actually made of gold, since the liquid inside seemed to be so damn expensive in the store he guessed anything was a possibility. It struck him as a ridiculous waste of time and money, but he gave the bottle a spray and soon as the fragrance hit his senses his curiosity piqued, and he began try each bottle that drew his eye. 

Everything smelled so different; all they'd ever really had in his time had been coal or pine tar soap. Scented with lavender or rose if that struck your fancy. High society women had perfumes of course, but he rarely ever got a whiff of them, or even saw them on sale. Yet there was so much choice now, so many options, so much time to waste on just picking how to smell in his new time. 

He guessed it stood to reason modern folk had so much choice, not having to boil up water for a bath or empty it out afterwards sure freed up a hell of a lot of time in itself. However, he wasn't yet sure just how he felt about all the extra time he'd have on his hands, after all he wasn't used to having time to focus on nothing but himself. 

It was closing in on seven o'clock when Allie next laid eyes on Arthur again. She was busying herself in the garage off the kitchen while dinner cooked, trying to dig out some old maps and history books from the storage boxes the room held. She'd easily lost track of time, focused on finding dozens of items that Arthur could get some use out of but when he suddenly appeared besides her, smelling so good, her knees almost buckled. 

"Holy shit!" she cried turning to look at him, as he glanced back over his shoulder as if trying to find what had her looking so amazed, clearly unable to believe she would look at him in such a way. 

"Wow! Arthur! You look..." heat blossomed at her core as she took him in. "... _Really good!_ " she beamed, amazed by the sight of him in a brand new grey Henley, sleeves rolled to the elbows and left unbuttoned, showing an alluring glimpse of chest. She would have starred for too long, but the perfectly fitting pair of black jeans that hugged his narrow hips just right, drew her eyes away. They hung a little low and fixed in place with a neat leather belt, where he'd hooked his thumbs comfortably in his familiar stance. 

He dipped his head almost shyly, scratching at the heat creeping up the back of his neck, as looked down at himself. The urge to scuff the floor with the sole of his new boots tempted him but he held fast. He didn't quite know how to feel in his new threads, but he sure liked the way she was looking at him in them. 

He latched onto a little boldness within him and looked up at her again, noticing that she was wearing another pair of crazily tight fitting pants made of the stretchiest material he'd ever seen, gripping her body like a second skin. A long, light grey cardigan covered most of her upper body but the scooping neckline of the white top beneath it made his eyes glance at her cleavage for a moment longer than was proper. 

He swallowed hard and pushed the devil in him back into its box. There were so many strange and new sensations rampaging through him he didn't dare to linger too long on any one in particular, worried about where he'd be lead. 

"How you feeling?" Allie asked, trying to put her tongue back in her mouth. Sensing he was feeling a little put on the spot by her reaction, but he looked so good she could hardly contain herself. 

"Cleaner than I've ever felt in my life...." he enthused, cautiously moving closer to her. "My mouth is all tingly from that paste stuff too....I feel like a new man." 

"Good!" Allie beamed, as he came to stand besides her, the new scent of him engulfing her quickly. "I guess technically you are a new man." 

"Guess so."

"A new man who smells, really good." 

"Yeah?" he asked, eyebrows raising. "Ain't sure which one you can smell most of, went a bit crazy in that there cabinet." he fidgeted a little on the spot. "Found that blue one with the horse in there too.... liked that one best."

Allie chuckled softly, the image of him wrapped in only a towel spraying one bottle of cologne after another danced happily through her head. "Well, I'm glad you're feeling good." 

"Yeah, I am." he nodded, a contented smile on his lips but a strange sense of awkwardness in his stomach making him keen to change the subject. "So what are you up to?" 

"I'm trying to find some things for you, books mostly. There's so much shit in here though." she sighed, wiping a dusty hand across her forehead, accidentally and unknowingly leaving a streak of grey on her skin. "Trying to find anything is-" she stopped short noticing Arthur was struggling to hold in a chuckle. "What?"

"You got er..." he gestured to her forehead but she just frowned, reaching up her hand and smudging the dust patch further. Arthur chuckled softly. "You made it worse." The way she was looking at him so expectantly disarmed him. "Here." he said, stepping up to her and reaching out his hand slowly like he was attempting to touch a panicked horse, half expecting her to recoil but she stayed put. Waiting as he carefully bought his large hand to her face, and softly as his powerful hands could manage, he carefully wiped the smudge away. 

She swallowed hard, a rush of tingling heat washing through her as the pad of his thumb gently brushed across her forehead like a tender kiss. His eyes focused on the task and not the way her eyes were staring at him so wide and questioning. Her lips gently parted and her mouth as dry as bone in anticipation of where his touch could lead. 

"Dust." he whispered, drawing his hand away and rubbing his fingers together to clean them off. 

The action bought her back to earth and she scoffed as she took half a step back from him, righting herself. Troubled by the heat he'd sparked within her. "Guess I should have done this before taking a shower." 

"Yeah." Arthur chuckled faintly, unsure of what had passed between them or the energy he felt coming off her in waves. 

Together they stood in a moment of awkward silence, glancing around the first of house's two garages, searching for a distraction. Arthur scratching the back of his hot neck again, as Allie bit her bottom lip. Both gathering themselves and trying to scramble to the top of the mountain of different emotions and jumbled thoughts that had fallen down on top of them steadily throughout the day. 

Always pragmatic, Arthur was first to focus out of his internal feelings and looked around the large room. Everything was piled neatly and labelled too, but he'd never seen so much stuff in a house before. There was little space left to move among the boxes of varying size, and the larger items covered by sheets. It was an odd sight indeed, but it provided him an opening. 

"So y'all have rooms just for keeping boxes in?" 

It was all mostly things her Aunt had shipped back from overseas and never opened during her fleeting returns home, but a lot of the packages contained things from Allie's old apartment as well as her and Henry's college days too. All stored away, waiting until they found a purpose again. 

Allie laughed softly, relieved he'd finally spoken. "No, not really. This is supposed to be a garage, to keep cars or bikes in." she explained. "But my aunt sends so much stuff back when she's away, we have to keep it all in here so the house stays functional." 

"That so." Arthur remarked, thinking how odd the new world was with its abundance of belongings. People filling their lives with things they probably didn't need. Having lived such a nomadic life himself, there was little room for many belongings in his life, but being reminded of the personal items he'd once had made him miss them. His photographs, especially. 

The self preserving part of his brain quickly found a distraction from the past, causing his eyes to catch on something strangely familiar hanging on the wall near a door that lead through into adjacent garage. He stepped over and reached up, bringing it down for a closer look. 

"Is everythin' more complicated than it needs to be in this world?....This is a bow, right?" he grimaced, holding up the fancy archery weapon for Allie to see, then pressing it to his shoulder, sideways and aiming it away from her to get a feel for it. 

She chuckled again, as she shook her head, watching him for a moment before stepping up to him and adjusting how he was holding the crossbow so that it sat flat in his grasp instead. "Modern folk always wanna reinvent the wheel." she explained. Thinking how odd it was to see him with such a modern looking weapon and not a simply wooden bow as he was more familiar with. "Henry used to be into archery during college. I think there's probably some arrows down there too if you ever wanna try it out." 

"Yeah, maybe." he pondered, putting the bow back carefully. He wasn't certain when or where he'd get the chance, since it didn't seem like the modern world needed hunters anymore. 

"Anyway, c'mon." Allie insisted, keen to get out of the dark, claustrophobic garage, to give herself some space from the wonderful away he smelled. "Help me bring these in." she handed him a few books and picked up the rest. "Dinner'll be ready soon." 

"What is it?" he asked as he followed her back out of the garage, through the laundry room and into the kitchen, which was smelling even more delicious than when he'd first walked in and heard her rustling around out back. 

"I'm making lasagna." she told, as they placed the books and maps down on the dining table with the rest of the things she'd had already dug out. 

"A whut now?"

"It's Italian food. It's like meat between layers of pasta with a nice tomato and herb sauce and cheese on top." Arthur still looked confused despite her best efforts to explain. "You'll like it." she insisted warmly, but her expression suddenly switched to serious. "Well, you better. Otherwise I'll kick your ass back to eighteen-ninety-nine." she teased, her stern expression melting away with the playful glint in her eye. 

Arthur laughed softly, he did enjoy her boldness and the banter that was already developing between them. Something about it made him feel comfortable; like he'd known her for much longer than he actually had. 

"Well, it smells real nice."

 _'It's not the only thing'_ Allie thought to herself, still feeling all tingly with how good he smelled and how fresh and full of life he looked. The touch of his thumb still lingering on her forehead, trying to draw her thoughts to places she didn't dare let them go. 

"Hope it tastes as good." she said, quickly switching the subject. "Anyway, all this..." she gestured to the information she'd gathered which was spread out on the dining table and piled up on one of the chairs. "...I figured we needed to make a start on catching you up on the present day properly, so I've been making a list of things that are different, certain names in history, like presidents and stuff and also the geography." she moved away and headed back over to the kitchen area, needing to make a start on a salad, and secretly hoping to get a little space to settle the aroused sensation dancing the quickstep through her. "...I've also dug out some maps and books that might help you get a handle on this time."

"Thank you." Arthur said softly, taking a look at all the things she'd put out for him, surprised by her efforts. "I dunno where to start."

"Me either really." she shrugged. "But Henry is a big history buff, he'll be able to answer any questions you have about all that stuff. I figured he'd teach you the boring things like historical and societal changes, politics and grown up things...and I can teach you the fun stuff, like movies, technology and sports and music."

Arthur chuckled, not entirely sure what everything was, but he did enjoy her enthusiasm for helping him and the sparkle it bought to her pretty blue eyes. "Sounds like a plan."

"We'll make a modern man outta you, Arthur Morgan." she beamed at him, sending a contented warmth rushing through his chest that he hoped to become far more familiar with. 

Suddenly the dogs interrupted, rushing in through the patio doors and across the kitchen, barking their way into the hallway, just in time to greet Henry. Arthur and Allie listened as the front door closed and Henry calmed the dogs down, kicking off his shoes before appearing in the kitchen. 

"Hey you two." he greeted. "Something smells good."

"It's either dinner, or Arthur." Allie joked, as she began to chop bell peppers. 

"Ooh, you got new duds, huh?....Lookin' like a snacc!" 

Arthur frowned deeply, and immediately looked to Allie clarification. Confusion splattered across his ruggedly handsome face. "Is that a good thing?

Henry laughed deeply, pulling Arthur's focus back to him. "Yeah, it is. You look good, my dude! How you feeling?"

"Good. Strange, but good strange, I guess."

"Well, I got a couple test results back. So far so good." 

"No TB?"

"We're still waiting on all the results from those particular tests, but from what's come back so far, it looks like you're clear. Once everything is back in, I'll bring home a vaccine so we can protect you against it in the future."

"Alright." Arthur nodded, a strange sense of relief easing the weight on his shoulders. His head feeling fuzzy in the knowledge that he truly was getting a second chance at life. 

Across the kitchen Allie beamed with a mixture of excitement and relief. "See, you're gonna live a long healthy life here."

"I hope so." Arthur said softly. The new world was the strangest of places but knowing he had a real second chance, and a shot at a new life was slowly filling him with a sense of hope for the future that he'd never had before. 

"Well, as long as you don't slip and do some outlaw shit." Henry teased. "You can't go around shooting people and or dragging them through town behind your horse these days." 

"I know." Arthur chuckled. "I do intend to be on my best behaviour." 

"I think you'll do just fine." Henry assured warmly. 

"Hen?" Allie called. "I was hoping you'd talk Arthur through some of the developments over the last hundred odd years, American history and stuff that's up your alley?"

"Of course!" 

"You're not tired?"

"Hell, I'm on my fifth wind. May as well ride it out while it lasts." 

With that he sat down at the table with Arthur and began filtering through some of the books and papers. Trying to find a good place to start on explaining the modern world's order and the differences in the Red Dead world he'd known and the real one he was in, while Allie focused on finishing putting dinner together. 

As she worked at compiling a salad and some garlic bread to accompany the lasagna, she kept glancing to Arthur, smiling at how intrigued he looked by Henry's lesson, feeling her heart flutter a little whenever he looked back over at her and smiled softly with his lips, but brightly with his eyes. 

She still couldn't believe he was there in the flesh, looking so damn handsome and at home. If it hadn't of been for the sense of guilt linger in her gut for forcing him into her world, it would have felt like the most perfect dream. She hated feeling so bad for dragging him into her life so blindly, but knowing he had a second chance to live a full, long life, and one in which he only had to please himself, made her feel like she'd done the right thing in wishing him to life. Giving him a solid shot at chasing dreams he'd never dared to dream in all his years before, and living the good life he'd earned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I hope that was worth the wait. I'd love to know if you guys are still interested in reading more of this adventure. Hope you enjoyed the update! :) 
> 
> And PS....The "blue horse" cologne I mentioned is Ralph Lauren Polo Blue. I think it smells really nice, and we know how much Arthur loves horses and seems to like the colour blue too, so I feel like maybe Modern!Arthur might pick it just on the logo and bottle colour alone haha!


	10. Cosy Night In

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, 
> 
> Sorry for the slow updating... _again!_ I'm not one hundred percent happy with this chapter but I wanted to get something posted for you guys, as I hate leaving you waiting so long, but I do hope you all like it. I want to thank everyone again for your shows of love and support for this story, it means the world to me to know it's going over well. 
> 
> So, without further ado....I give you chapter ten! Enjoy! :)

After inhaling the first helping of the meal Allie had prepared, Arthur and Henry both happily accepted seconds. After plates were licked clean, the trio sat chatting and sharing a few funny stories for a while and finishing off the wine they'd opened. It didn't take much for Henry to begin yawning and he made his apologies before heading off to bed to sleep and recover from his brutal shift at the hospital. Leaving Allie to show Arthur the wonders of the modern dishwasher, before making a start on teaching him how to work the other contraptions in the kitchen that were completely alien to him. Hoping that she could show him all the skills needed to survive in the modern world. 

"....So then the coffee starts to come out down here into the jug...." she said, having run Arthur through the first steps of how to fire up the coffee maker. "It stays at drinkable temperature, so you can have a cup whenever you want."

Arthur frowned at the machine on the counter, watching as the brown liquid steadily began to drip into the clear jug slotted neatly beneath it, just as Allie has claimed. "Now this is a marked improvement on my time." 

She chuckled softly, liking the impressed but puzzled expression he wore. "Well, wait 'til you see this." She shuffled past him and moved down the counter to where a microwave was fitted into the cabinets besides the integral double oven. She pushed the button to pop the door open and made a presenting gesture for Arthur's benefit. "Microwave. Hot food in minutes." 

"Whut?" he stepped closer peering curiously inside the strange illuminated box, looking around as if he was searching for something. "Can't fit much of a fire in there."

Allie bit the inside of her lip to stop herself laughing, speaking once she'd swallowed her amusement. "It's all done by a special kind of energy, here...lemme show you." She turned and moved back down the row of cabinets until she reached the one she wanted, got up on tip toes and popped open the door. Taking out a packet of microwave popcorn that she hoped would prove to him the magic of modern technology. "Popcorn." she announced, waving it around as she moved back to where he stood. "You had that in your time, right?"

"Sure." he nodded. Recalling eating a few times and having seen street vendors cooking it up in a big kettle contraption over an open fire in most cities he visited.

"Right, well, you just shove the pack in here and close the door," she carried out the actions as she reeled them off to Arthur. "Spin this thing to the right until the time you want comes up...." she gestured to the dial for Arthur to take over and he did so. "We need four minutes." 

Arthur focused in and twisted the dial until '4:00' was showing in the green lights on the display. "That right?"

"Yep! Now just hit that button." she pointed out. 

Arthur couldn't believe the strange box was going to do anything special, but he trusted her and followed the instructions she gave. Hitting the shiny chrome button labelled 'start' and recoiling in surprise when box lit up and began making a strange whirring noise. He looked at Allie to confirm that the noise was normal and she gave him a reassuring smile. Fascinated he leant in close again, watching as the bag of popcorn turned around and around slowly in the glowing white light. 

"Don't get too close." Allie warned. "It'll fry your brain."

"What?" he cried, jumping away, looking at her wide eyed with concern, but her laughter told him straight away that she was only playing around. 

"I'm kidding. My mom used to tell me and my brother's that when we were kids." Arthur blew out a sigh of relief and visibly relaxed, making Allie smile softly. "Although, to be fair, back in the nineties they probably did fry people's brains." she mused. 

"And stuff you make in there is safe to eat?"

"Yeah, of course. It's not the best, TV dinners are pretty shitty, but a microwave is a useful thing to have."

Arthur wasn't convinced, but he looked back at the popcorn turning around inside the box, being careful not to get too close this time. His eyebrows raising as it began popping wildly, causing him to back away again and shuffle over closer to where Allie was standing, a safe distance away. 

"So what else do I need to know how to use?" he asked, hoping for something that seemed a little less extreme and potentially dangerous. 

Allie sucked her tongue. "Well, we got a bunch of stuff to use for making meals. A handheld blender, juicer, slow cooker....all that crap is in the cupboard down there." she pointed to the storage beneath the oven. "It's probably gonna be a while until you want to use them tho-Ooooh!" her eyebrows shot up toward her hairline as her eyes widened. "Toaster!" she cried, stepping up to the counter again and pulling a white box with two slots in the top towards her. "You shove slices of bread in here, push this little handle down, wait a few minutes and it turns them into toast."

"Yeah?"

"Yep! Everything is easier in the twenty-first century." 

Arthur pondered that for a beat or two. "But if the power went out for good, y'all would be screwed."

Allie gave a soft huff, and nodded her head. "Can't argue with that."

He thought for a moment again, and a sly smile tugged at his lips as his head filled with ideas. "Maybe I need to teach you how to live off the land a while?" 

Allie made a face that showed a lack of enthusiasm. "I'm not a fan of sleeping on the ground and pooping in bushes."

Arthur snickered and shook his head, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. Enjoying how his face felt with a smile on it, and how her eyes sparkled back at him playfully. "Y'all modern folk are soft." 

"True." she gave a facial shrug. "But I'll have you know I reckon I could do pretty well surviving out in the wild."

"Oh really?" he scoffed, eyebrows questioning. "For how long?"

"A whole forty-five minutes at best."

Arthur couldn't hold back the biggest laugh he'd done in a long time, loving the certain, and deadpan look on her face that held for a moment before it faltered and melted into a mischievous smile. Amused greatly, he basked in the joy of laughter for a moment or two before softly shaking his head in disbelief. 

"It may surprise you, but I do know how to make a fire from scratch and some other survival stuff. I'm not entirely dependent on modern conveniences." 

Arthur smirked, still tickled by her bold claim, he wasn't convinced, but he was almost impressed to believe she stood a chance in his world. "That so?"

"Yeah! So don't you be challenging me, Arthur Morgan." she pointed at him teasingly. 

Arthur chuckled deeply again, enjoying her playfulness and retorting with his own sarcasm. "Oh I wouldn't dream of it. Seems like you've got it all tied up." 

Allie sniggered, dipping her head a little shyly. "Alright, I admit. Maybe you could show me a thing or two." 

Arthur smiled again, that funny warm feeling filling his chest again as he looked at her, all playful and a little coy. "Well maybe I will." 

They held each other's eyes for a minute, smiling softly at one another, enjoying the moment of light heartedness between them. A sense of light tension in the air that wasn't in any way uncomfortable but was full of promise. Giving them both a strange, but enjoyable feeling in the pits of their stomach and depths of their chests. 

The ding of the microwave shattered the moment, yanking Arthur's attention away from Allie. The whirring had stopped and the light had gone out but the corn was still popping inside. "Is it done?"

"Yep!" Allie said, moving to the cupboards again to take out a bowl, hoping her cheeks weren't as red as they felt. "Open the door and take it out, be careful though, it'll be really hot."

Arthur stepped up to the microwave, repeating what he'd seen Allie do a few minutes earlier and pressing the button to pop open the door. A sweet smell flowed out and he felt the moist heat on his face. Without thinking he shoved his hand in, a subconscious part of him wanted to check that Allie was right to claim the strange box heated things up so well. 

He touched the inflated bag, feeling nothing untoward for a second until suddenly scolding heat tore through his palm. "AHH!" he yelped, hissing in pain as he pulled his hand back and jumped back from the microwave. 

"Arthur!" she cried, rushing to him as he shook the pain and heat out his hand. "I told you it was hot! Let me see." She took his arm gently and carefully cupped the back of his large hand that dwarfed her own, examining his broad, open palm. There was the slightest hint of pink there but nothing to worry about. "You need to run it under some water." she told him. Trying not to notice the funny sensation that slivered through her to see her small hand cupping his large paw. 

"Nah, I'm fine." Arthur dismissed, but didn't pull his hand from hers. 

"Why'd always do that?" she sighed, thinking aloud. 

"Whut?"

"Touch things you know will hurt?" Arthur thought for a moment, and almost laughed, she was right and he couldn't deny it. "Honestly, it's really a wonder you lived long enough to die in the way you did when you have no regard for your own safety, and too much curiosity." 

Arthur was a bit taken back by how well she seemed to know him but the look on her face made him chuckle. She looked so worried but stern at the same time, silently showing him how much she cared for him and he barely knew how to take it. 

"Guess I'm my own worst enemy sometimes." he confessed, a little shyly. 

"Ain't we all." she smiled at him, patting his thick forearm. "No harm done." She let go of Arthur's hand gently and moved back to gather the bowl she'd taken out, leaving Arthur in place for a moment, closing his hand and rubbing the edge of his index finger where her touch still lingered. 

Shaking off the strange haze that was coming down over him, Arthur cautiously stepped forward and carefully picked the hot bag out of the microwave. Bringing it over like a prize catch to the kitchen island where Allie had the bowl waiting. She took the bag off him and carefully pulled it apart, before tipping the steaming contents into the bowl and smiling at him proudly. "See! Cooked!" She grabbed a piece and popped it into her mouth, and Arthur followed suit. Munching cautiously on the warm snack. 

"That's some kinda magic alright." he said in wonder. It was no surprise that modern folk had so much time on their hands when finding things to eat was so much easier than he'd known. 

"Sure is." Allie smiled. "Anyway, grab us some beers out the fridge, and I'll round up some more snacks."

Arthur was eager to see what she had planned for the evening and quickly moved to the refrigerator he'd become familiar with. Still amazed by how technology allowed for cold storage in such a small space, and so quietly too. He knew he'd never get tired of being able to get perfectly chilled beer and ice whenever he felt like it. 

He could easily see how people had grown soft in Allie's world, as it all came far too easy but after a life of battling through every day he was given, he couldn't deny it was nice to have some simple pleasures that made life far easier and enjoyable than he'd ever known it.

As Arthur took out the pack of four beers and closed the fridge door again, he found Allie waiting, a pack of chips and candy treats tucked under each arm, and the bowl of popcorn in her hands. "Now c'mon." she said nodding towards the kitchen door. "Lemme show you some other kind of magic!" 

With that she and Arthur navigated out of the kitchen and along hallway to the living large but cosy living room, which Arthur had yet to enter. He took a look around as she lead him over to one of two couches, gathered around a coffee table in front of a fireplace. Another one of the big black boxes he was becoming familiar with hung above the mantle, and there were shelves and cabinets all around filled with ornaments and books galore. 

A plush arm chair and footstool was nestled between bookshelves near the patio doors, and what looked like a giant turquoise coloured cushion was tucked in besides the coffee table. He guessed it was some kind of modern comfort but didn't think to ask. 

"I figured we could watch a movie, or maybe just some TV, it's up to you." Allie said, taking his attention back as she placed everything she held on the coffee table in the middle of the room, then gestured for Arthur to have a seat on the nearest couch, while the two dogs climbed up and settled in on the one at the other side of the table. 

"I don't have a clue about either, so, whatever you think is best." he insisted, putting down the beers on the table and turning to pick up a pillow from the couch to make more room for himself, before plonking down at one end. 

"Alright, well....I'll give you a crash course in how to use the remote, then maybe we'll watch a Western."

"A Western?" 

"Yeah, movies about cowboys, outlaws and stuff. It's a whole genre, people love 'em." 

"Really?"

"Yeah. Seriously. There are some really good ones too, I made a list so we can work our way through them or you know, watch something more modern, when you're ready for that. It's your call." 

Arthur's eyes sparkled with a grateful but uncertain smile, he was unsure how to handle someone making so much effort for him. It was more than he could ever recall anyone doing before; an effort he didn't feel he was worthy of. 

He was counting himself really lucky to have found someone who seemed to relish helping him learn and acclimatize to the new world he was in. He couldn't ignore how nice it felt to be with someone so kind, and to enjoy a shared experience that didn't involve any gunfire or other danger. 

He watched curiously as she picked up a long thin box like thing from a side table on the other end of the room and came over to join him, taking a spot one over from him on the three seater couch. Pointing the long box, at the big flat box on the wall above the fireplace, she bought it to life just as she did in her office, the first night he'd been in her company. 

"So we got like nine hundred channels, or some shit. Most of them are exactly that, _shit_." she joked. "But there's a lot of good stuff too, there's news channels, weather channels, history channels, nature channels, music channels, cooking channels, basically anything you can think of, there's probably a show about it on somewhere." Arthur felt mesmerized as she flipped through a kaleidoscope of scenes, dozens of different images and sounds coming at him. "You wanna try?" 

"Sure!" he took the remote from her and considered all the buttons looking back at him. Numbers and colours and tiny printed words that weren't familiar. 

"Use the arrows to go up and down through the listings, or the button with the CH on it to just surf the channels forward and back." 

Arthur did the first thing, pressing the up arrow button to see a banner came up on the screen listing things he had no clue about but not changing the picture in any other way. So he pressed the minus icon on one of two long buttons and the channel switched over. A middle aged man was in a kitchen, making some kind of food or another and talking to him about it. Concerned, he furrowed his brow and he turned to Allie a little without taking his suspicious eyes off the screen. "Can he see us?"

Allie laughed softly. "No. No one on TV can see us. It's just one way."

"But they're all real people, right?"

"Yeah. Some are playing fictional characters though, in TV series and movies. They're like plays but on the TV not the stage." Arthur nodded, feeling like he understood how modern entertainment had evolved. "...There's also something called reality TV which is following the lives of real people, and there are documentaries that do the same kind of thing, with crimes and travel and animals, and all kinds of stuff." 

"Huh." Arthur affirmed, pressing the button again and switching to some darkly lit scene with two people wearing badges around their neck, sitting at either side of a desk talking about someone they intended to arrest. They looked like Pinkertons and he wasn't keen on seeing any more, so he pressed again and bought up images of a whole new world. A British man's voice spoke softly, describing the fish that were happily going about their daily lives on screen. His eyes instantly widened in awe. "How the hell did they manage this?" he cried excitedly, looking back at Allie, mouth slightly agape. "Is that real? That's underwater right?" 

Allie nodded, trying not to grin at the excitement in Arthur's eyes. "Yep. They have waterproof cameras now and people dive deep in the ocean to film things like this. There's whole series of shows about the ocean and sharks and dolphins and all the weird stuff in the deep sea." 

"That's amazin'!" he gasped, completely mesmerized by all the colours and wonder the tropical oceans had to offer. 

Content to just let him watch whatever he wanted to, Allie tucked her legs under herself and settled in. She'd had a funny feeling he'd be drawn to nature shows. His love for animals and the natural world had been so prevalent in the game, she knew it was an intrinsic part of his character and an element of him that she loved. Seeing him so engrossed made her heart sing, and filled her with a sense of deep seated contentment she couldn't ever recall feeling before. 

As entertained by watching him, as Arthur was studying the fish, she divided her time between glancing at the screen and looking at Arthur's face as his eyes widened in amazement and narrowed in intrigue. Completely enraptured by the wonder of sea life and all the things he had never seen before. Lost in a mysterious world full of colour and marvel, until a commercial break bought him back to the present with a noisy car advertisement. 

"I'm sorry, I got sucked right into that." he chuckled nervously, feeling strangely shy about how easily he'd become absorbed. "Is that the end? You wanna look at somethin' else?"

Allie smiled at him, her heart full of warmth to see him enjoying himself in such a way. "No, it'll be back on after the commercials. And I'm good, keep watching if you want to, it's totally up to you." 

"Alright." Arthur nodded, shuffling back into the seat to get more comfortable. Watching as the commercials played out, bombarding him with products and services. Trailers for new shows thrown in and reminders of when others would air. It was all so bewildering but fascinating all at once. He'd never felt so bombarded by so much information but he couldn't turn his eyes away. 

He'd always been a man who'd loved to be outdoors, working and getting things done, but in that moment he could feel how easy it would be to just say sitting right there inside for the rest of his life watching the world through the box on the wall, in the comfort of a warm home. 

The evening drew on and eventually visions of the ocean turned to images from the battle grounds of the world war one, and Arthur's mood notably changed. Neither he nor Allie were keen on watching real life suffering and she encouraged him to go back to flipping channels. Watching as he travelled through rich women cat fighting, flashy music videos, news reports, sporting interviews, home improvement shows and infomercials. 

With every different set of images Arthur's expression changed, cycling through every emotion from sheer confusion to absolute joy. So much information and activity was making him weary though, and he turned to Allie to see how she was feeling, curious about what else she had planned for him. 

"So what was this movie thing you mentioned?"

"It's just like TV but a concise story, set across a couple of hours played out by actors."

"Alright, sounds interesting." 

"There are so many good movies, Arthur. I'm so excited to show you them."

Arthur's chest felt full of light just to know she wanted to share experiences and the things she loved with him. "Which one do you think is the best?"

"Oh God, you can't ask me that." Allie chuckled. "I have a hundred favourite movies."

"A hundred?"

"Well, at least eighty."

Arthur shook his head, laughing softly, he could tell by the sparkle in her blue eyes that she was teasing, but not too much. There was some truth to her liking a lot of things, as he could tell by all the strange stuff she owned. "So which one do you think I would like the best?"

"I think there's just as many you'd enjoy." she insisted warmly. "Although, I thought we'd start with one that kinda makes me think of you."

"How so?"

"Well, it's about a retired outlaw who's started a family and become a pig farmer and he gets drawn back into that life when a woman gets hurt. It's set in your time, maybe a bit before, and it's a classic. The main character is played by a guy called Clint Eastwood, who's a huge movie star, especially with Westerns." 

"Alright, how'd we watch it?"

"Here, I'll show you." she gestured for him to pass her the remote back and he did so. She demonstrated how to bring up the streaming services she had access to and found the movie among the hundreds that begged to be watched first. Firing up the film and watching as surprise swept across Arthur's face to see the picture of a small house a tree cast in the sunset - a setting that was much more familiar to him than the bottom of the ocean or a fancy house in Beverly Hills. 

"You'll probably notice a lot of stuff isn't accurate, movies always have goofs, especially historical ones, but most people don't notice, 'cause you know...they never lived through it." 

"I'll try not to pick holes in anythin'." he said with a faint smirk on his lips, making Allie fight a grin. They both focused their attention on the screen, watching as words appeared giving some insight into what had happened in the story before the film picked it up, transitioning into revealing when and where the movie was set. 

"Eighteen-eighty." Arthur muttered. "I ain't never heard'a no Big Whiskey though."

"I think it's a fictional place." she told him and he nodded, focusing back as the screen darkened again to reveal a rainy night scene. The pouring rain and squeaky store signs slowly faded away to the sound of passion. 

Arthur fidgeted awkwardly at the sound but watched on, relieved when violence broke out at changed the tone of the scene. Instantly he was drawn in to what was playing out on the wall before him. Giving a soft, almost shy, chuckle when the cause for all the drama was noted as a nameless man having a small pecker. 

Allie smiled to herself, content that Arthur was already hooked, she passed him another bottle of beer and popped open a pack of chips. Offering him some before she lost him completely to the drama, taking a handful herself, setting the bag down between them. Relaxing back into the couch and watching as Arthur was swept away with the story. 

As much as she enjoyed the classic film, there was no entertainment quite like watching Arthur's expressions as he witnessed the drama play out. His mouth opening every now and again, as if he wanted to pass comment on something, only to close it again as the action quickly moved forward, not wanting to miss a moment or a word of what was said. 

He changed position from time to time, alternating between leaning forward, sitting almost on the edge of the couch during the action sequences and shootouts, and relaxing back against the cushions when the things died down. Not letting his eyes leave the screen as he took a sip of beer or stuffed a handful of chips into his mouth. Completely glued to the story and everything the movie had to share with him. Holding his breath with the tension and action and feeling all the emotions that the characters were going through coursing through his own body. Glancing back at Allie from time to time to check she was enjoying it as much as he was, liking the way she smiled back at him so contently. 

Two and bit hours passed quickly, as they lost themselves in the movie, but eventually the credits rolled releasing their focus. Arthur felt his eyes were beginning to sting from being fixed to the action so intensely, but he'd never experienced anything like it. He was familiar with the acting out of stories, since he'd been to the theatre before, Dutch had insisted on it a few times, but it was nothing compared to what he'd seen that night. 

"I really enjoyed that." he confessed, amazed by what had been captured on film. "It looked so much like my time, how'd they do that?"

"They go to different locations and build really amazing sets and sound stages to film these kind of things on." Allie told him. "There are so many movies like this, and other kinds like ones set in outer space and under the sea and in the future and even further back in the past, there's a lifetimes worth of things to watch." 

"Well you make sure you show me the best ones."

"I will." she beamed, enjoying his enthusiasm. "You wanna watch something else, or, well...I guess it's getting kinda late." 

"Yeah, it's been a long day." he remarked, a little glumly. Tiredness was slowly seeping in even though he wasn't keen to end the day just yet. 

"Guess we should turn in." Allie suggested on a sigh. 

"I guess." 

"We got another long day of making you a modern man tomorrow."

"Well in that case, I definitely need to get some rest then." he joked, making Allie chuckle softly. 

With that, they set to work helping gathering up the empty bottles of beer and snack packets together. Clearing everything away into the kitchen before they headed upstairs to put an official end to Arthur's first full day in the modern world. The dogs lead the way up to the first floor, and he followed after Allie, trying to keep his eyes on where he was putting his feet and not on her shapely ass that was directly in his natural eyeline. 

Trying not to wake Henry, they moved quietly,walking along the corridor together until they reached the end of the landing that finished outside their bedrooms doors. 

She turned and looked over her shoulder at him, her eyes sparkling with kindness. "Goodnight, Arthur. I had fun today." 

Arthur dipped his head a little, his instinctive response to most compliments or gratitude. "Me too." 

Allie gave him a warm smile, full of joy and love before stepping forward to follow the dogs into her bedroom, but a jolt of impulse shot through him and called out to her, stopping her in her tracks. 

"Allie?" 

"Yeah?" she replied, her tone hopeful as she turned to face him fully and realizing he was only a little over foot away from her. 

Arthur swallowed hard, feeling like an idiot for putting himself on the spot but he needed to say his piece. "Thank you for today. For takin' care of me and everythin'. You really didn't have to do all you did." 

"Don't mention it, I wanted to. And it's the least I could do." 

Arthur didn't want her to feel like she owed him anything at all, but he was so grateful that she'd put such an much effort into helping him feel at home in his new world. He was sure there weren't many people around who would have offered a man like him the same kindness. 

"If anyone was gonna wish me into this century, I'm glad it was you." he confessed candidly. 

She blushed a little, dipping her head shyly just as he had a moment earlier. "Well I'm glad to hear that." They held each other's eyes for a beat or two, before Allie made the bold move of stepping forward and raising up a little on her tiptoes to plant a soft kiss on his cheek bone. 

Warmth rushed through Arthur, filling him from head to toe. Such tenderness felt magical and soothed his very soul. He wasn't used to being touched, let alone kissed, but it felt wonderful. 

Breathing him in deeply for a moment, she slowly pulled herself back and smiled. She really didn't want to part from him, but she could see the tiredness in his eyes. "Goodnight, Arthur. Sleep well."

He scratched the back of his neck, his head still dipped slightly in awkward response to her touch. "You too. G'nite." 

Not wanting to overcook the moment, Allie carefully turned again and slipped away into her bedroom. Leaving Arthur alone to take a deep breath; enjoying the last lingering notes of her perfume as he steadied himself and then made his way into his own room. Closing the door behind him softly and looking around at the place he was able to call home. 

He still couldn't get used to how nice it was, how clean and bright. It felt odd to be bedding down again in such a place, without having to part with a few dollars first at least, but he couldn't deny a strange sense of comfort was growing within him just from being there. A space to call his own, with a real roof over his head. A place he could sleep properly, without anticipating someone on watch shouting that trouble was coming, or worrying about how the weather could change through the night. Good people surrounding him, folks who already cared about him and asked for nothing in return. He'd been blessed, and he couldn't understand why. 

Scoffing to himself about how lucky he'd become, he wandered over to the dresser. Earlier that day he'd helped Allie neatly fold items of clothing she'd called 't-shirts' and 'pyjama' pants, along with socks and more of the strangely simplistic 'underwear' like he had one. 

She'd told him how the t-shirts and cotton pants were clothes to sleep in, like union suits, so the bed and sheets didn't get dirty from outdoor clothes. It made sense, and of course he knew more civilized folk had such practices in homes of his time, but back then and in that moment it still seemed like unnecessary effort. 

Since the events of Blackwater he'd grown used to sleeping in clothes he'd worn all day, and the practice had served him just fine. After all, the gang hadn't been able to let their guard down in those crazy few months. There wasn't time for dressing and undressing just to sleep for a few hours, knowing it wasn't wise to be fighting O'Discolls or running from the law in their delicates. Besides, he always felt safer to sleep with boots on; comforted by knowing he was ready for whatever came his way in the dead of night. 

It was going to take time for him to get used to the fact he was safe and free from all the danger that had haunted him, and despite his reluctance to adopt the custom he wanted to make Allie happy. Giving in to the idea, he open the second dresser dawer down and looked over the new fabrics waiting for his touch. 

It felt like a waste to take off the brand new clean clothes he had on, and hadn't warn for long, just to change into another new outfit to sleep in. He couldn't help but think of how mad Miss Grimshaw would have been at the increase in laundry for clothes that weren't even dirty, but he guessed keeping things nice was the done thing in his new time and he really did enjoy the usual feeling of being clean and the soft cottons against his skin.

Carefully he took off the clothes he was wearing, hung them up neatly on the closet door to wear the next day, and set about dressing in a pair of soft grey pyjama pants and a v-neck white t-shirt. He wasn't sure if it was a habit he could easily form, but when he caught a glimpse of his reflection in the mirror and saw that he was smiling to himself, he knew something must have been right about it all. 

Comfortable in his newest outfit, Arthur shut off the main light and used the moonlight coming through the shutters to navigate to his bed and switch the lamp on at his side table. Despite his sore eyes, he wasn't feeling sleepy, there was a strange excitement flowing through him, and too much residual warmth from Allie's tender kiss stirring in his veins. 

His eyes caught on his satchel, hanging on the back of the bedroom door, and he headed over to bring it back to the bed. Sitting down before reaching inside and taking out his journal; filled with the urge to draw his experiences he opened to a blank page and began to sketch. 

First he drew the modern hospital building, doing his best to make all the glass stand out. Beneath that, he drew part of the store they'd visited, the bath products aisle where Allie had rubbed lotion into his face. 

Turning to a new page he made a small drawing of the cellphone she'd shown him, then microwave and then the television with a miniature version of a scene from the film they'd watched together. Noting down the names of each object besides them in the way he did with the plants he'd found. He thought it was a silly thing to do, but it helped him decompress and process all that was happening to him. 

After a while the urge to write filled him, and he began an entry that he never thought he'd write. Finding the words flowing from his as easily as they ever had, his pencil gliding across the page as he documented his bizarre second chance at life. 

_'I don't quite know how to explain the situation I have found myself in, but when I last wrote in this journal I was sure my life was at an end. It seems I was wrong about that, as a day ago I awoke in the strangest of places - the twenty first century. The year twenty nineteen. This is by far the oddest of things to ever happen to me, especially as I have learned my life was documented as if I was a character in a play, but not on stage, in something called a video game.'_ He scribbled out the last word a couple of times, trying different spellings until he felt it looked right. 

_'Many people in this modern world apparently followed my last few months and saw the things the gang and I went through. I do not understand how that is possible, and I'm not sure I care to delve too deeply into the complexities of it all. I am however grateful that I seem to have a second chance at life. Here I will not have to chase debts or run from the law, all the freedom Dutch promised has been handed to me and I am trying not to be overwhelmed by the possibilities that brings._

_A fine young woman named Allegra Devereaux (Allie for short) bought me here, by some kind of magic in a necklace she was given. I don't understand how that is possible either, but if I learned anything in my last few months it was that this world is full of unusual and seemingly impossible things._

_I have only been in her company a short while but already she has made me smile and laugh more than I had done in years. It's a most unusual of feelings to be here with her, but one I could happily grow used to._

_She is kind and generous beyond reason, and seems to care for me an awful lot, which I do not understand at all. She has followed my story and saw all the things I did, yet for some reason she does not see me as the bad person I know I am. She is quite remarkable in many ways, and apparently is unafraid to stand up to me, which is as unfamiliar as it is enjoyable._

_I will admit the modern world is a lot to take in and I feel mighty peculiar being here, but she goes to great lengths to make sure I am comfortable and that I understand everything going on around me. I am very fortunate to have a second chance at life, but more so I am most fortunate to have found myself besides a woman like her._

_She lives in a big house that is very clean and bright, with her dogs, a cat, and her cousin. A kind and amusing feller, named Henry. He works at the hospital, and has run tests on me to make sure I'm not going to get sick again. Apparently, so far, I appear healthy and I am immensely grateful for that alone._

_I already feel at home here, thanks to Allie and Henry's warmth and hospitality, but I do miss my people, of course. My horse too, since they use something called 'cars' to get around here, which are like mechanical powered covered wagons, with soft seats, a wheel instead of reigns and music inside. They are quite the sight to behold. They are more abundant that horses were in my time before, and people seem to be too. Allie says there are seven billion people on earth now, I find that terrifying and fascinating in equal measure._

_Things seem so very complicated now and I already miss a simpler life but I am trying my best not to spend too much time thinking of the past, as I cannot go back nor fix what happened to my family and friends._

_Allie assures me she tried to change the way my story ended but could not fight the fate that befell me. I have to accept my new life as it is, and do my best to make the most of this chance to live again. I am most curious for what comes next. It is an adventure beyond anything I have experienced before and I am greatly hopeful that this new life I have been given will be lived to its fullest._

_I trust Allie will make certain I do not stray off a rightful path in this life, even if temptation to revert to my instincts tries to get the better of me.'_

With that, Arthur turned the page and began to sketch Allie's face. His pencil etching out the contours of her bone structure, shading in her cheekbones and bringing life to her eyes. A faint smile laid itself across mouth as he drew in her full lips and began capturing the waves of her dark hair. The pit in his gut told him he wasn't doing her justice, but it felt good to try and draw her nevertheless. 

With one last look over his work, he closed his journal and placed it on his nightstand. He felt better for writing, although he felt he had much more to say than he could properly articulate. With heavy eyes, he pulled back the covers and settled into bed, looking up at the ceiling and thinking back on the day he'd had. 

From waking up and discovering how a modern toilet worked, to exploring a twenty-first century general store, showering under gloriously hot water, eating food he'd never tasted anything like before and seeing life under the ocean surface. He'd had plenty of adventure in his time but nothing had prepared him for the wonders of his new world. A world he knew he would be lost in without Allie acting as a rudder to steer him right. 

His mind ran over all that had occurred between them that day. How upset she'd been at the hospital, to how kind and amusing she'd been at the store. How she'd held her ground against him over accepting the gold bar, to the way she'd looked at him when he'd found her in the garage. There was no doubt, that despite so many new and unusual things all around him - she was the biggest wonder of all. 

A modern woman, who was still technically a stranger, but one who seemed to care so much for him and understood him so well. He didn't know what she'd seen in the game of his life to make her warm to him so, but he was grateful for it. He'd unknowingly craved the kindness and affection she'd shown him and he knew at their first touch it was something that would stand to make him rich in that world, in ways beyond anything gold or jewels ever could.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that's all I got for now, but I'll be back if you want more? :)


	11. Wake Up Call

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone, 
> 
> I'm finally here with a new update. Thank you all for your continued love and support on this fic, it means the world to me.  
> This was originally one huge chapter, but I thought for the sake of everyone's sanity I'd chop it up into two parts instead for easier digestion haha!  
> Anyway, I do hope you all enjoy another little glimpse of Arthur getting to grips with the modern world! :)

Arthur's second morning in the modern world started far differently than the first. He was awoken gently by a faint, but strange sound coming through the floorboards. A rhythmic kind of noise emanating from downstairs, that sounded almost musical but he was too far away to pick it up properly. 

Giving a stretch, he rose up from the bed and looked around. His body felt so relaxed and his head as so clear. The wonderful deep healing sleep he was getting in that house seemed to be doing him the power of good. An immediate burst of energy powered him through the usual morning aches he'd become familiar with in his last years, proving to him that he was finally well rested, and maybe not quite as old as he often felt. 

He looked down at himself and scoffed; he still couldn't get used to seeing himself in modern clothes. Although he couldn't deny the soft cotton of the grey pyjama pants and white t-shirt he wore felt a hundred times better than the scratchy seams that union suits had for the first few wears. 

He pondered dressing; it felt like the right thing to do to put on some proper clothes. After all, in his day, the only one who went round in anything less had been Uncle. It didn't seem right to leave his room in his nightclothes. Yet curiosity was getting the better of his instincts, prioritizing his desire to find out what the sound was before it stopped and he lost his chance to investigate. 

Getting up he padded barefoot to his door and popped it open, glancing back to where his boots stood at the foot of his bed, wondering if he should at least shove his feet into them first, but his eager ears wouldn't allow it. After all, there was no need to worry that he'd step on something sharp in or suddenly need to start running from an ambush. 

Feeling comfortable in his morning state, he stepped out into the corridor and noted Allie's door was open, suggesting she was already up and about. Every more curious, he focused in on the noise coming from below. Instantly he confirmed that the sound was fact some kind of music; a song with a heavy drum beat, clashing cymbals and a twangy strings. From what he could hear, it sounded like it could have almost been from his era but he couldn't place a note of it. 

Eager to find out what was going on, he made his way across the landing and down the stairs, stopping to greet the two dogs who rushed to wish him Good Morning at the foot of the steps. "Hey fellas!" he smiled, knowing he'd never tire of being in a house that was filled with animal life. 

As he crouched with the dogs, he realized he could hear voices spilling out of the kitchen under the music. It sounded like Allie and Henry, and if he wasn't mistaken they were singing. 

Cautiously he got up and approached the kitchen, keeping back a little from the door so as to stay hidden in the shadows of the hallway. Inside, behind the island near the stove top, he saw Allie stood besides Henry, they were facing one another, as she sang dramatically into a large ladle and he into a peppermill. Arthur chuckled to himself straight away, wondering what had got into the pair to have them putting on such a passionate performance for an invisible audience first thing in the morning. 

"And if you don't love me now," Henry sang. "....You will never love me again..."

"I can still hear you sayin', you will never break the chain" they sang together. 

"And if you don't love me now," Henry called.

"You don't love me now." Allie echoed.

"You will never love me again." 

They sang together again, enthusiastically _'I can still hear you saying, you can never break the chain.'_ Repeating the lyrics over again with the song until the vocals stopped and the music shifted tempo and a heavy guitar began to come through. 

Arthur stepped a little closer for a better view, leaning a shoulder against the door frame, watching as his lips curled into a broad smile. Entertained by how silly they both looked and how much fun they seemed to be having. Finding his foot was starting to tap along with the music, that he could easily find himself wanting to hear more of. 

A part of him -that only tended to see the light of day while he was drunk- wanted to join in. However, he kept back, content just to watch as Henry began to shake the peppermill in time the with the rough beat and Allie began to pretend to play guitar on the ladle she held, keeping their imaginary instruments going as the energy of the song built and built, the guitar whaling wildly as they both began to pretend to play passionately. Battling with each other until the guitar gave way to the return of the vocals which saw them start singing again, breaking out into dance. Holding hands and twirling each other, singing something about a chain and shadows, and generally looking like a pair of idiots. 

Arthur found himself laughing heartily as the two cousins shimmied towards one another and then backwards, over and over as they sang through the end of the song. Arthur couldn't resist, infected by the joy he saw before him, and started clapping as the song ended, making Allie jump out of her skin, eyes wide like a startled doe, but Henry just took a gracious bow. 

"Thank you, thank you! We're here all week." he joked as Arthur moved into the kitchen revealing his presence properly, noting how Allie withdrew shyly in his presence. Turning back to the stove to hide her blushes by concentrating on cooking. 

He didn't know why she'd clammed up, not when she seemed to be enjoying herself so much and looking so funny while doing it. He worried that she didn't want him to see that side of her, that she didn't trust him enough yet, but a tiny hope blossomed in his gut that wished one day they'd both feel comfortable with one another to fool around in a similar way as she was with Henry. It looked like more fun than he could remember having, sober at least. 

With her pulse feeling all jumpy, Allie quickly pulled through her embarrassment and reached for the remote control and pointed it back over her shoulder at the stereo on the kitchen cabinet, blindly turning down the volume. She could bring herself to make eye contact but she felt Arthur's gaze fixed on her, and she was so embarrassed. Yet the way the feel of his eyes made her skin prickle with heat wasn't something she could be mad at. 

Finding her composure, she nervously turned back to face him, offering a smile hoping to disguise how awkward she felt, but a wave of heat rushed through her center the second she took in the sight of him. She was shocked to see he was still in his bed clothes, looking ridiculously good in his grey pajama pants and white v-neck t-shirt, showing off his strong arms and chest and complimenting him in other areas too. Slightly sleepy eyes, and a few stray strands of hair falling over his forehead made him look a little disheveled but he was still as handsome as ever. 

It suddenly felt way too hot in the kitchen, and she wondered if she was going as red as the ketchup Henry was taking out one of the cupboards. Her mind quickly went to a though of opening a window, just to let some cool air in, but she couldn't take her eyes off his. 

Arthur didn't mean to stare, he knew it was wrong to, but he couldn't help himself. She looked beautiful, with her wildly curly dark hair was loose and uncontrolled, like he hadn't yet seen it. Her slender torso and full breasts hugged by a pink tank top that showed plenty of lightly tanned skin and tempted his mind into wandering. 

"Mornin'." he managed to get out, before letting his thoughts stray. Giving her a little smile that was a touch more sly than he intended it to be. 

"Morning." she returned, a quiver going through her with the look in his eye and the smirk on his face. She swallowed hard, fighting back against the swell of nerves and excitement in her gut to find her voice and the power through. Strengthening her resolve not to indulge the lurid thoughts that tiptoed around the edge of her mind, at least not that early in the morning. "Breakfast is almost ready."

"Smells good." he purred. "You need any help?"

"Nah, it's okay. We got it. Sit down." Allie insisted, prying her eyes off him to turn back to the stove top, to herd her thoughts back into their appropriate boxes inside her head. 

Feeling a little strange about the sensations swirling within him, Arthur repeated what he had done the morning previous, and took his seat at the kitchen table. Trying not to think too hard about much at all, as he watched the cousins work together to plate up the breakfast they'd made and bring it over to the table with mugs of fresh coffee. 

"So how you feeling this morning, Arthur?" Henry asked, sitting down to eat. 

"Good." he nodded, wasting no time in tucking in. "I slept like a log again." 

"Memory foam mattresses, bro. They're worth every penny." Henry insisted, before stuffing a fork full of bacon into his mouth. 

"Sure beats a cot or a bedroll." 

Arthur glanced to Allie who was quietly sipping her coffee, still looking a little shy after being caught dancing in the kitchen like a fool. The strange warmth she elicited within him was sitting high in his chest again, growing ever warmer just from looking at her. Recalling the soft kiss she'd planted on his cheek the night before, the teasing banter they'd shared after dinner, and how she'd fussed over him when he'd hurt his hand on the popcorn.

He couldn't understand why someone like her would be so kind to him, and seem to care so much. He was sure he didn't deserve any of her compassion or consideration. It seemed to make no sense that any decent person could see the things he'd done and hold no harsh judgement against him. He couldn't grasp any sense of logic behind why anyone, especially a bright young woman like her, would take so kindly to a man with so much darkness at his back. 

Refusing to let his mood sour into self loathing, he shook the depressive, leading, thoughts from his head and focused instead on the delicious looking food. 

A few moments of comfortable silence passed as they ate, before Henry spoke again. "So I'm gonna try to be productive today, and hit the grocery store and the gym. You two plotting anything fun?"

Allie shrugged and screwed her mouth to one side in thought. "I dunno. I hadn't planned anything. There's lots of stuff we could do though. Is there anywhere you wanna go, Arthur?"

He thought for a moment but he didn't know of any places to go to, and he wasn't sure he wanted to stray too far into the modern world again so soon after the unearthly experience that had been shopping in Walmart. However there was a strange sensation inside him at the very core of his soul, a craving for something that had been a constant in his life before. 

"I'm feeling a bit....I dunno..." he shrugged, unable to explain the sensation inside him. "I'd kinda like to get out for a bit, somewhere in the open. I can't remember the last time I was inside this long in one go, you know?"

Allie gave a gentle smile. "Sounds like cabin fever." She knew it wouldn't be long before he wanted to go exploring the outdoors, she was surprised he'd made it a full day without looking longingly out of the window. With his love of nature and his transient life, it was easy to assume it must have been hard to get used to being under a proper roof for most of the day. "Well, we could go for a walk-" she stopped short, her morning caffeine hit hadn't yet reached her confidence and sass, making her lack the courage she'd had the night before. "Well, _you could_....I'm sure you must be sick of the sight of me by now."

With her guard not fully hardened, Arthur saw a more fragile side of Allie which he hadn't yet witnessed. Instantly he sensed in her what he felt in himself - a limited amount of self confidence and only a trace of self esteem. A private side of herself that she kept hidden behind a projection of a more confident image, that she wanted the world to see. It was a form of self preservation, he knew all too well, but it still took him by surprise to see the change in her poise. She'd spent every moment since they'd met boosting him up; he hadn't had chance to notice that she perhaps wasn't as bold and brave as she'd seemed. 

He didn't like seeing her question herself, or her value to him. He especially couldn't imagine wanting to leave the house without her beside him for guidance and companionship. "No, I ain't." he assured warmly. "I'd like you to come. We could take the dogs too?"

Allie's eyes lit up instantly and she gave him a smile, that she was clearly trying to stop becoming an overly excited grin. "Absolutely" she nodded, excited that he wanted to spend time with her of his own free will. "We'll go after breakfast. There's a small state park literally next door, it's really nice in there." 

"Alright then." he nodded, a little sizzle of excitement skittering through his stomach. 

Content with the plan they had in place they focused in on eating. Chatting a little about the things Arthur had learned the day before, the movie and TV he'd watched and how Henry intended to continue to get him up to speed on how far things had come in the years Arthur had missed out on. 

All the while, Arthur and Allie exchanged shy smiles and glances, warming up to one another and bringing them both at ease again, exactly as they'd been before sleep reset everything. 

Once breakfast was done, and the dishwasher was loaded, Henry headed out for the day and Arthur and Allie took upstairs to shower and change. 

Truth was, Arthur wasn't used to bathing every day, far from it in fact, but he'd been excited to get back under the stream of hot water again, having enjoyed the sensation so much the day before. However, he told himself to be quicker this time, not wanting to waste a moment of time that could be better spent exploring his new world with Allie by his side. 

Twenty minutes later he was clean and dressed in the same dark jeans and grey Henley he'd worn the day before, but with a thick dark blue, plaid shirt over the top, which he hoped would be enough to keep the tail end of winter's chill out. With his new boots laced, he grabbed his trusty hat and headed eagerly down to the kitchen again, to find Allie was already waiting. Sitting at the kitchen table, her dark hair swept back into a slick ponytail. Dressed in a purple marl Henley herself, and a pair of dark blue jeans that she'd tucked the bottoms of into chin high black boots. 

"Hey!" she smiled, looking up from the two small rectangle boxes of light she had out on the table. 

Her initial happiness to see him was quickly clouded over by heat resonating from her core again. He looked painfully handsome, standing with his familiar swagger in his stance. His hat in his right hand and the thumb of his left hooked into his belt, that sat little higher on his hips than she'd become familiar with seeing in the game. Yet the overall look and appearance his style and posture gave off was no less alluring - strong, confident, outdoorsy and painfully handsome. 

She swallowed hard on the tempting urges that were trying so hard to overwhelmed her, and silently hoped she wasn't looking as flushed as she felt. 

"Hey! Whatcya got there?" Arthur asked, too curious about what was on the table to notice she was practically gawping at him. 

"Er....erm..." she cleared her throat of the lust that was trying to choke her. "....Something for you." She picked up one of the small square object and waved it at him. "Come sit!"

"What is it?" he asked, joining her at the table, taking the seat next to her and leaning in curiously. 

"A cellphone."

Getting a closer look, Arthur realized he'd seen the objects before. "Oh. Like you have?"

"Yeah." she nodded, pleased he recalled what she'd shown him the day before. "It's my old one, it still works just fine. Thought it'd be a good place to start for you." she handed it to him and he turned it over in his palm, feeling the weight and shape. It was a little different to Allie's one in size but it looked otherwise the same. 

"I've already programmed in my number, and Henry's and also the house phone, just in case. I can show you how to make a call and a text now, if you want?" 

"Sure." Arthur nodded, eager to learn as much as he could. 

Keen to show him how modern communications worked, Allie scooted her chair a little closer to him. Letting him catch a whiff of her fresh smelling perfume with notes of fruity shampoo underneath. A scent that made him feel warm inside, and as if he was sleeping out in a meadow on a summer's day. 

He'd never paid much mind to how people smelled in his time before, at least not unless it was bad. Cleanliness hadn't been such a focus in his past, but it was nice to be surrounded by such pleasant company, in every imaginable way. 

"Okay, so this is the home button." Allie said, pointing out the only thing to press on the front of the phone, trying hard not to breathe in through her nose. He smelled so good again, it damn near set her on fire! If her self control had been any weaker she felt as if she would have jumped him. The sight of his huge hands and long fingers delicately cradling the phone, waiting patiently for her instruction sent a warm shiver shimmering down her spine. 

She mentally pushed the sensation away, feeling like it was inappropriate to let herself consider being attracted to him, given the dynamic of the situation they were in, but it was impossible not to admire what a handsome man he was. He game creators had made him digitally remarkable, but mother nature had outdone herself bringing the beauty of his character model into reality. 

"You erm....y-you press on that and slide the bar at the bottom across, and it'll open up the main home screen." She forced out, focusing hard on the task at hand was the only way to survive being so close to him, feeling the warmth of his body mingling with hers. "...All these little square things are called applications, or apps for short. I've put that game I showed you on here too, just in case you ever wanna play."

"Alright."

"See this little logo here? That's for phone calls. You press on it and you can choose to either open up the keypad to dial a number manually, or find a number that's in your contacts...Which is that little person there..." she pointed to the address book logo and Arthur pressed on it, bringing up a small list of contacts that she hoped he'd be able to add to eventually. "You just press on a name there to open an entry, and then press the little telephone icon again next to the number, and it'll call whoever you want."

"Oh I see you!" Arthur said excitedly, noting there was a tiny picture besides her name in the listings, and one of Henry next to his too. Besides the entry named "home" was a picture of Allie's two dogs with the cat sat between them. 

He felt warmed through to his core with a sense of acceptance and belonging that instantly went a long way to filling the hole in his heart. He was further than was humanly possible from the only life and home he knew, but to be shown such acceptance seemed to close the gap and fill him with a sense of truly priceless comfort and security. 

Wanting to show her he was learning, Arthur did exactly as Allie said and pressed on her name, opening her contacts entry and pressing the little telephone icon besides the long string of numbers he saw. Sure enough, the cellphone on the table began singing out and buzzing. 

She reached over and picked it up, holding it up to show him. "See?" she pointed out how his name had appeared. "I'd answer but it's gonna sound like we're in a tin can. So just press that red one there to cancel the call...." Arthur did as he was instructed. "You do the same thing after you've finished speaking or want to hang up." 

"Alright." he nodded, confident in what he was learning so far and waiting for the next part of her lesson. 

"Now hold still." she said, raising her phone to him.

He frowned deeply, recoiling a little. "What you doin'?" 

"Taking a photo, so I can put your picture by your name in my phone." Arthur was clearly puzzled, trying to find the words to question how the hell that worked. "We don't need to develop film anymore, it's all digital. Here." with that she snapped a photo of him. Looking at it for a moment and almost sniggering at the bewildered look on his face before turning it to show him. "There, see?"

Arthur's eyes widened as he leaned in. Looking at the picture that was as perfect as looking into a freshly cleaned mirror. "That's crazy."

"I know. When I was a kid you had to wait at least an hour to get photos back."

"An hour? Took longer n'that in my time." he chuckled, continually amazed by the advances in the world. "Can I do pictures with this one too?"

"Yeah, sure you can. Press the home button again, and look for the camera icon on the main screen, it's black on a grey background." He was grateful she'd described the icon as the logo didn't look much like he remembered a camera, but he did as instructed and bought up a screen that showed the table before him. "If you press that little icon up the top, it'll switch cameras to the front facing one."

Arthur again did as she said, and laughed as he saw himself in the digital mirror. "Well I'll be damned!" 

"If you hold out your arm, and press the white circle on the screen, you can take a photo of yourself." 

Arthur scoffed, awkwardly. "Nah. I don't wanna do that. See enough a'my ugly mug in the mirror."

Allie sighed heavily, she hated the way he talked about himself so negatively. "I'm teaching you how to take a selfie, Arthur Morgan. Play along." 

He gave a huff, rolling his eyes a little but quickly relenting. "Well, you get in it too then." 

"Alright." she agreed, and leaned in a little closer to him, getting herself in the frame. Tilting her head almost to rest on his shoulder. Trying with all she had not to give too much mind to being so close to him and how her skin tingled with desire to feel him so close. "Hit the button when you've got us lined up and you like what you see." she said with a smile but he was too distracted looking at the two of them reflected back. 

She looked beautiful and he looked younger somehow, and so happy. Happier than he could ever recall seeing himself in a photograph or a mirror. There was a brightness in his eyes that was unfamiliar and lit his face up, taking years off him, but still he hated the sight of himself. 

An inherent self loathing for all his wrong doings and failures eating away at him, echoes of direct and more subtle insults chipping away at the happiness that tried to curl around him to form a shell that could protect him from the dark coldness that forever lingered on his back. 

Despite the lingering gloom inside, he couldn't help but want to hold onto the moment, as a way to remember it was possible for him to look close to as happy as he felt, so he pressed the button. The image of them froze briefly then disappeared into the corner of the screen, leaving him with the mirror image of the two of them again. He felt as if he could have looked at it for hours, just as he'd done with the photographs he'd owned before, but she spoke up, taking his attention back. 

"Alright, now if you go back to the main screen again..."

"This one, right?" he asked, pointing to the home button and she nodded. 

"That little colourful icon there? That's where all the photos you take are kept. It'll store thousands so, you know....you can snap away until your heart's content." 

"This is amazing." he gasped, opening up the image folder and looking again at the picture he'd just taken of the two of them. "Beauty and the Beast." he commented. 

Allie sighed heavily again, closing her eyes for a moment as she debated taking him to task. She wasn't sure she'd get another chance, so she grabbed it with both hands. "Arthur, I wish you wouldn't talk about yourself like that." she said softly. 

He frowned, unsure where she was going for a moment. "What you mean?"

"You're much too hard on yourself, you know?" she was looking him right in the eye, firm like she was trying to teach him a lesson, but also gentle like she was reassuring him and giving him the comfort he'd silently longed for throughout his life. "You're a good man inside, and beautiful one on the outside too. Whoever made you feel, or think, any different is a total asshole." 

Arthur gave a soft, breathy laugh, completely unsure how to accept such a direct and passionate compliment. A little overwhelmed, he broke their eye contact and dipped his head slightly, feeling awkward for a moment before noticing the soft, reassuring smile she was giving him. One that made a warmth blossom in the center of his chest again, inflating him inside and lifting his shoulders. 

She meant every word she'd said, that much was clear as day. She wasn't paying him lip service to gain his favour, and she wasn't handing out empty compliments to get his business. There was no ulterior motive for telling him such things, she just wanted him to believe he was better than he thought and cast out all that had soured him to himself. 

Staggered by her statement, he fixed his eyes on her again and they shared a tender smile. He was uncertain what to say or how else to thank her for trying to boost his confidence and chase his demons away. He knew it would take a lot more to make him have faith in the words she spoke, but it felt nice to know she believed them, even if he couldn't. 

"I also put some shots in from the game, of your friends and family." Allie revealed gently, sensing it was safest for both of them if they moved the subject along quickly. "If you swipe on the screen, you can flick through them."

Arthur struggled for a beat to pull his eyes off her, magnetized to her beauty and kindness, but he couldn't ignore the worry of staring for too long and he looked away. Focusing on the phone again and recalling the swiping motion from the game she'd showed him the day before and repeating it. The strangest of sensations lighting up his eyes as they fell upon the black and white images he'd held so dear back in his time. 

There were pictures of both his parents, Copper, his two adoptive fathers and even Mary too. A cocktail of emotions washed through him like a tidal wave, bringing barely contained feelings worryingly close to the surface. "Th-this is....thank you, Allie." he said in almost a whisper, taken back by what she'd given him. 

"You're welcome." 

Arthur was overwhelmed with so many feelings as he looked through the new images she'd stored for him. The pictures he'd kept safe for over twenty years mixed in with shots of the people he loved from around the camp at Horseshoe Overlook. It felt like forever since he'd seen all their faces so clearly, it was the perfect gift and clicked a missing piece of him back into place, but something seemed dissimilar. He didn't want to ask, but he couldn't help himself. "They look a little different to how I remember....like, they're not quite real, ya know?"

Allie nodded, she'd worried that would be the case. "That's because videogames are animated, the fancy drawings I talked about?" Arthur glanced up at her and nodded, before looking back at the phone, flicking to the next picture that showed Abigail and Jack. "I guess what you saw looked as real as all of this," she gestured, palms up to the world around them. "But to me, it was animation." 

Arthur sighed, he was still trying hard to get his head around how his life could have been just a story, but he couldn't do it without over-thinking and he liked to do his utmost to avoid that. Yet doubt and worry niggled away at him somewhere deep inside. Fearing that the peaceful reality he'd come to know might mesh all too well with his troubled past, and what it would all mean for his future and the new life he'd been given. 

Feeling like a dark cloud was appearing over Arthur's head, Allie switched things up. "You can send pictures to me too." she continued, he looked up at her and blinked away the sadness that was drawing in, leaning closer to her again so she could see the handset and guide him. "If you swipe the opposite way, you'll go back to the photo you just took..." Arthur did as she asked. "....That's it....then select that funny little square with an arrow in. It'll let you text or email or airdrop it to me."

"Whut?"

Allie laughed softly, realising she was getting a little too complicated for a first lesson. "I'm sorry, that's advanced study, we'll cover all that later. Let's try texting, okay?" Arthur nodded acceptingly, glad of the distraction, and with that she began instructing him how to bring up the messaging app and keyboard. 

"Oh, it's like one a'them typewriter things I seen before?"

"Yeah, exactly, only much smaller. You just press the letters to type out what you want to say and then press the plus sign at the top there to find a name to message it to." 

"Alright, I got this." Arthur said confidently. His abilities with technology were coming on and he knew he could spell good enough to give texting a decent try. "What should I write?"

"I don't know." Allie chuckled. "Maybe text Henry a message?"

"Sure." he nodded and began prodding at the screen hitting too many letters at once. 

Allie swallowed a laugh. "You gotta be a little delicate with typing, it's not quite like crushing candies." 

"Oh...sorry." 

"It's alright, try to use like a light patting, rather than prodding, with the very tip of your finger." 

"Okay..." he mumbled, his large index finger pressing gentler on the screen that he cradled in his left hand. "Dear He-," he stopped short. "Do I hit that to put the space in?" he asked, pointing at the bar below the letters. 

"You got it!" Allie smiled, pleased he was picking things up without her instruction too. 

"Alright." Arthur nodded and started typing again. "Dear Henr-Where's the comma at?"

Allie couldn't help but find his desire to use proper punctuation endearing, she could already tell he'd be one of those people who reread sent texts and sent spelling corrections with asterisks. "See the one-two-three there? Press that, you'll get numbers and punctuation, select whichever one you want to use, and then hit the ABC to go back to the letters. It'll self correct a lot of simple grammar for you though, so you don't always have to go looking for apostrophes and stuff."

Arthur did as told, pressed the button and carried on texting. "Dear Henry, it's..." he looked to Allie enthusiastically, amused to see she was right about the punctuation self-correcting. ".... me, Arthur." 

Allie couldn't help herself and started chuckling. He turned to look at her again oddly this time, almost affronted, wondering what he'd done wrong. "It's not quite like a letter, you don't really need to write 'dear' and 'from' or anything like that. It's kinda like a cross between a letter and a telegram. You don't need to be too formal."

"Alright. I get it." he nodded, getting the idea. "How'd I cross this out?"

"That button there with the little arrow shape with the cross inside? Tap that and it'll delete what you've written."

"Okay." he concentrated and did as she instructed. "Shall I say hello at least? How's he gonna know it's me?"

Allie stifled a chuckle. "Sure, you can say hello."

"Alright...lemme see here." With that he began typing, speaking out his words as he went. "Hello Henry... I am learnin' to do... textin' letters....I hope this finds you well....Fro-" he stopped short. "No need to say from?"

"No, I text him your number this morning so it'll be stored in his phone. He'll know it's from you before he opens it." 

"Fair enough." he said, a little surprised. He looked back to the phone and hit the delete button, removing the half spelt word. "What now?"

Allie bit her lip to stop a smile, amazed by how quickly he was picking things up. "Alright, press the plus sign there and find his contact info, exactly the same as before when you called me." Arthur did as he was instructed, effortlessly navigating his way through the phone and adding Henry as a recipient. "Then just press where it says 'send'...." On her word he did as instructed, making the phone give off a little whoosing noise and Arthur recoiled. 

"So where's it go now? How's it get to him?"

"It just goes through the ether, all around us, and appears on his phone wherever he is."

Arthur chuckled, amazed by the process. "And you thought magic didn't exist?"

"Well, I guess when you put it like that." she smiled, holding his eyes for a beat or two. Still unable to believe he was actually there with her, in the flesh. Looking so painfully handsome in the muted morning light. "So I guess we can check texting off the list now, next thing you know you'll be emailing and snap chatting, tweeting-"

"Tweetin'? Like a bird?"

Allie snickered. "No, it's a thing modern people do, like text message but it's posted on the internet for the world to see. Updates about what's going on in people's lives and stuff..."

He made a confused face, tilting his head slightly. "Why would folk want that?"

"I don't know, but people love it. Validation I guess?"

"Y'all modern folk are Goddamn strange."

"Yeah, we are." she chuckled. 

Arthur's phone chirped again and he looked at the alert. "Oh, I got a letter."

Allie was struggling so hard not to laugh at him, his expressions were adorable and the note of joy in his voice filled her with happiness. "Alright, press on the envelope icon with the red dot it to open it up." 

"Hey Arthur. Glad to see you're getting to grips with modern technology. Keep up the good work." he read, giving a surprised but soft laugh. "Look at that little face there, how'd he do that?"

Allie giggled, loving his excitement. "They're called emoji's. There's all different kinds you can use, you have them too."

"Alright. Should I write back?"

"If you want to." Allie nodded. 

Arthur set to work straight away, fascinated by modern communications. "I am...tryin'....my...best..." he said out loud as he typed. "Allie...is a.... great...teacher. See you...later." he paused and look to Allie. "Where's them faces at?"

Trying to stifle a grin, she leaned in and pointed to the little smile face in the corner of the keyboard. "Right there, press on that."

"Oh, alrig-oh! Look at all them!" he cried, shocked to see such a wealth of small, brightly coloured images looking back at him. 

"You can scroll through them by swiping left on the screen..." he followed her instructions, his eyebrows raising to find more little faces and tiny cartoon images of other objects, some that looked familiar, others that were completely alien to him. "....And then just press on the one you want and it'll be added to the message."

"Hey! Look at that!" he cheered, adding a smiling yellow face to the end of his text and looking to Allie who smiled in approval. "This is something else, ain't it?"

"It sure is." she beamed. "To reply, you just need to press where it says 'send'. You only need to go through the contact book if you want to send a completely new message to someone you've not contacted before. 

"I think I got it." he nodded, hitting 'send' and proudly showing Allie he'd learned how to text. 

"Seems like it to me." she smiled, thrilled he'd aced his first lesson in keeping in touch. "You might not need to use it much yet, but if you keep the phone charged up at one of the chargers..." she pointed to the cabinet at the far side of the room where they were plugged in. "...And keep it with you when you're out, then you can reach me when we're apart. You can text me or Henry for practice whenever you want too." 

Arthur liked that idea, and although he didn't see himself having much need or desire to stray too far from her company yet, it was nice to know they had a strong link in place if they ever got separated. 

"Anyway, c'mon." Allie cheered. "Let's go for this walk. You can take some more pictures while we're out."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed! I'd love to hear your thoughts! :)
> 
> (Oh and the song was The Chain by Fleetwood Mac by the way....)


End file.
